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Mexico City, November 30, 2004 – “Stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of the great challenges of the 21st century and the United States will not relent in the fight against this disease,” said U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza. “The people of the United States, through President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, are privileged to be a partner with the people of Mexico in building a future free from AIDS.”
Mexico is one of over 100 nations in which the U.S. works directly under the Emergency Plan. The plan also has a special focus on 15 nations in Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia that collectively have half the world’s infections.
In Mexico, the United States government funds the Policy Project that works closely with the Mexican National AIDS Program (CENSIDA) on stigma and discrimination reduction and workplace and gender issues. In another positive development, a coalition of eight large American corporations working in Mexico announced that they had joined forces to launch the National Business Council on HIV/AIDS to eradicate discrimination in their workplaces.
This year’s observance of World AIDS Day on December 1, focuses on women and girls who are particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. The Mexican Ministry of Health has chosen as its theme how the culture of machismo affects the spread of the disease among Mexican females.
The U.S. Embassy will host a series of events to heighten awareness of HIV/AIDS. A video conference on December 2 will link AIDS experts in Mexico City and Guadalajara for a discussion on several AIDS topics including cooperative efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination in the workplace, gender issues and public policy. In addition, an AIDS banner will be displayed on the Benjamin Franklin Library.
“By commemorating World AIDS Day we acknowledge the fact that millions of people throughout the world continue to be infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and that since the last World AIDS Day, three million people have lost their lives to the disease,” added U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza. “This year the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief offers renewed hope in our joint fight against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.”
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