AIDS IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD

WHEREAS, as we mark the twentieth year of the AIDS epidemic, UNAIDS reports that more than 18 million lives have been lost to AIDS, nearly 15 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa, and, with 34 million people estimated to be living with HIV or AIDS worldwide and five million people becoming newly infected each year, the death toll is expected to double in the next decade; and

WHEREAS, it is projected that HIV will kill at least one-third of young men and women in countries where HIV is most prevalent, and in some places, up to two-thirds, drastically altering the structure of their population and the future of their communities; and

WHEREAS, though there have been recent declines in AIDS-related deaths in the United States, the epidemic remains an enormous health emergency - 315,112 people in the U.S. are living with AIDS, more than 40,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV each year, persons of color are disproportionately impacted, accounting for 30 percent of the U.S. population and 60 percent of all new AIDS cases, and young gay black men are becoming infected at the rate of almost 15 percent a year according to a new CDC report; and

WHEREAS, 83 percent of persons with AIDS in the United States live in our urban cities and rely on public health care and social service systems for care and treatment, making funding for prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and supportive services critical investments in our people, our cities, and our health care system; and

WHEREAS, in order to reduce new infections, ensure quality health care, and prolong the lives of persons living with HIV/AIDS, the United States must continue to allocate sufficient resources for domestic and global HIV/AIDS prevention, care and research programs; and

WHEREAS, the Administration announced a U.S. contribution of $200 million to the global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis and announced the United States' participation in a coordinated and collaborative worldwide response to the devastation caused by these diseases; and

WHEREAS, the Administration has set a goal of reducing the number of new HIV infections in the United States by 50 percent and has proposed FY 2002 budget increases for AIDS-related research and prevention programs and for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors commends the Administration for its commitment to combat HIV/AIDS abroad and urges the allocation of additional resources to stem the spread of this global pandemic; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges the Administration and Congress to increase funding for critical domestic HIV/AIDS programs by allocating an additional $291 million to the Ryan White CARE Act, including $50 million for Title I and $130 million for Title II AIDS Drug Assistance Program, $190 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative, $200.7 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for domestic prevention programs, $106 million for research to the National Institutes of Health, and $23 million for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program.