Romney World AIDS Day Statement

Saturday, Dec 01, 2007

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Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on World AIDS Day: "On World AIDS Day, we are reminded of the importance of America's commitment to fighting one of mankind's most deadly infectious diseases. Around the world, over 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. In 2007 alone, 2.5 million people became infected with HIV and another 2.1 million died from AIDS. To strengthen our fight against HIV/AIDS and bring hope to those afflicted with this disease, we need strong executive leadership that can build on President Bush's groundbreaking efforts. "As President, I will mobilize our civilian instruments of power to address HIV/AIDS, poverty and other challenges across Africa by empowering a single U.S. official with the responsibility and authority to lead all of America's civilian efforts in the region. I will fundamentally transform our international aid efforts so that more of our assistance goes to those suffering rather than bureaucracy. Today, only one-third of all foreign aid gets to the people it was intended to help. That must change. "As devastating as HIV/AIDS has been around the world, we must not forget that over a million Americans are living with the disease here at home. We should do all we can to ensure that America continues to lead the world in cutting-edge research and development into new medicines. I believe in supporting policies that foster innovation and get every American access to affordable, quality health insurance. I also believe that government should work in partnership with our nation's pharmaceutical researchers and manufacturers to advance the HIV//AIDS research agenda and move us toward a cure."