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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MR. GRAHAM - ADDRESS TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY - NEW YORK, NEW YORK</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE BILL GRAHAM, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY NEW YORK, New York September 23, 2003 When we met here two years ago to adopt the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, we already knew that the crisis facing us was both urgent and catastrophic. Today, the ravages of this pandemic are affecting almost everything the UN and member nations are trying to accomplish, threatening to subvert progress in areas such as development, trade and agriculture. We cannot hope to achieve any real success in our collective efforts until we address this pandemic and the devastation it has wrought on societies around the world. This is not to deny that some progress has been made in the past two years. The UN has integrated the reality of HIV/AIDS more broadly into its operations, led by the excellent work of Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS [Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS]. National efforts are being scaled up, with encouraging results in countries such as Mozambique, Thailand and Senegal. And in some countries, including Ethiopa and Uganda, the pandemic is showing signs of abatement. The trend will continue only if we succeed in breaking the cycle of transmission. This requires us to address seriously the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls, through measures such as access to high-quality sexual and reproductive health care and services. We must also combat the violence directed at women when they try to take preventive measures. New approaches to the pandemic are being considered by groups of like-minded states, including the Human Security Network. Such innovative thinking should renew our collective resolve to fight for each human life at risk. Finally, some progress is being made in ensuring that care and treatment as well as prevention are available in both developed and developing nations. The World Trade Organization agreement on TRIPS [Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights] and public health is an important advance in this respect. Despite this progress, however, the Secretary-General has reminded us this morning that we have a long road to travel if we want to realize our previous commitments. In Canada, we have worked hard to implement the Declaration of Commitment, and we are currently renewing the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS in light of what we have learned from long years of struggle on difficult issues and conversations among our citizens. Canada's approach to HIV/AIDS is a rights-based one that embodies the principles of the Declaration of Commitment. We place the highest priority on ensuring the protection and full enjoyment of all human rights for everyone affected by HIV/AIDS, including the most vulnerable: injection drug users, commercial sex workers, Aboriginal people, women, children, refugees and our gay and lesbian community. Our HIV/AIDS strategy is grounded in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and draws on a strong institutional framework that backs up legal protections with means of recourse when rights are violated. Canada's efforts focus on preventing the spread of HIV through information and education. We know that prevention works best where comprehensive care, treatment and support are available; and we also know that countering stigma and discrimination is crucial in getting prevention messages across and in helping people access care. We have learned that societal attitudes about sex and drug use cannot be allowed to prevent the sharing of information that saves lives. In this context, I am proud to say that yesterday I participated in the annual AIDS walk in Toronto, an activity organized by the AIDS Committee of Toronto to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and raise funds for its prevention and cure. Over the years, we have raised over $7.5 million through the efforts of citizens from every walk of life, from all the multicultural communities of this diverse city. And we have done this with the active participation and encouragement of local, provincial and federal politicians from all political parties in our system. I am also proud to say that similar events took place in 130 other communities across Canada--a community response to a pandemic that affects us all. Our HIV/AIDS strategy has also made gains by going beyond government to engage with all sectors of society. By working together with people living with HIV/AIDS, vulnerable social groups, non-governmental organizations and business, we have extended our efforts into spheres that government alone cannot reach. Lastly, Canada is increasingly working to integrate our HIV/AIDS strategy into our foreign and development policies. The better we understand the impact of this issue on everything we hope to accomplish outside our borders, the better we can address it through our bilateral and multilateral relations. In face of this pandemic, we must ensure universal access within all nations to prevention, treatment and support. More than ever it is urgent that all nations work with their citizens at home and with one another abroad. I assure you that Canada is wholly committed to this goal. Thank you. </body> </html>

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