Honorable Kim Yoon-ok, First Lady of the Republic of Korea
The President of Fiji, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau;
Dr Nafis Sadik, the United Nations’ Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia;
Mr Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS;
Ms Soo-Hee Jin, the Minister of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea;
Mr Zahid Hussein, President of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific;
Ms Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Vice President, Asian Development Bank;
Dr Christopher Benn, Director of External Relations, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria;
Mr Ui-Hwa Chung, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
Mr Nam-Sik Hur, Mayor, Busan Metropolitan City
Dr Myung-Hwan Cho, Chair, ICAAP 10
Colleagues from the Local and International Organizing Committee of ICAAP;
Member States and their representatives;
Co-sponsors and Partners;
International and regional organizations and civil society stakeholders;
Scientists and researchers from the Asia-Pacific region and around the world;
Ladies and gentlemen.
Ahn nyeong ha se yo. Hwan youn hamnida.
Hello and welcome to the Republic of Korea and to Busan, the beautiful city where I was born.
It is indeed an honour for me to welcome you to the 10th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific.
The road to this conference, has been paved with milestones and promises – some promises have been kept and some promises remain to be fulfilled.
The story of HIV is at a crossroads.
And it is at this pivotal moment that we find ourselves here in Busan, gathered together for the 10th ICAAP, with the theme of “Diverse Voices, United Action.”
What has been the progress in addressing HIV in our vast region?
On the plus side, in Asia and the Pacific, the overall number of newly infected people has decreased by nearly 20% in the past 10 years. Over the same period, the number of infected people starting antiretroviral treatment has increased ten fold.
There is now far greater awareness and implementation of effective and evidence-based prevention and treatment approaches.
We have growing evidence supporting the approach of “treatment as prevention”, as well as pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Recent studies have indicated that antiretroviral therapy may also help prevent the transmission of HIV in sero-discordant couples, where one partner is infected and the other is not.
All these advances are truly remarkable. HIV does not have to be a death sentence. HIV is treatable.
Millions of people with HIV can live long, productive lives if they have access to the means to do so.
But there are challenges to achieving universal access to prevention, treatment and care.
Those challenges are political, financial, logistical, legal, social, and cultural.
Millions of people are now covered by treatment in Asia and the Pacific. But millions more people in need are not.
For every person who embarks on treatment, two new infections are detected.
And in the current funding climate, with major donors pulling away from HIV programmes, there is a real danger that the gains of recent years may be compromised by decreasing resources.
“United Action” – more than ever before - is urgently needed.
Colleagues and friends, it remains a sad fact that whether we talk about vulnerable populations or the wider population, HIV remains cloaked in stigma and discrimination.
When we talk about “Diverse Voices,” we need to listen more closely to the voices of people vulnerable to HIV and people living with HIV.
Voices that have for far too long been ignored by those who have the power to effect change.
Voices that this conference welcomes.
There is an old Korean saying that “a great river does not refuse any small streams.”
Diverse voices feeding into the mighty river of united action that is needed.
Together we can and must work towards the UNAIDS vision of “Getting to Zero.”
The new WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on HIV and AIDS will help guide the health sector’s response to achieving this wonderful vision.
On behalf of the World Health Organization, and the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific that I have the privilege of leading,
I wish the 10th ICAAP all success, and hope that all of you have a wonderful stay in my beloved Busan.
Thank you.