Kofi Annan’s world AIDS day address

The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says in his address on the World AIDS Day: "The world after 11 September has made us all think more deeply about the kind of world we want for our children. In the new and uncertain environment into which we have been propelled, we feel more deeply than ever the need to hold fast to a vision of peace and security, but also to one of human security. The United Nations' mission to improve the lives of peoples everywhere has become even more urgent. That means redoubling our efforts to turn back HIV/AIDS.

The AIDS toll is rising. This year's figures on the state of the epidemic show that the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS continues to grow. Every hour of every day, almost 600 people are infected. And every hour, more than 60 children die of the virus.

The motto of this year's World AIDS Day takes the form of a question: "I Care… Do You?" For all of us who care about the world we want our children to live in, the answer is clearly yes. But we must do more than say it. We must all join forces to do something about it.

On this World AIDS Day, let us all pledge to translate our concern into action; let us resolve that we care enough to build a world free of AIDS for future generations”.