Bangkok--Nov 24--MFA
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests and Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, I wish to thank the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health for being with us today, and express my appreciation to Botswana for co-hosting the Workshop on Comprehensive Response to HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care. My special thanks also go to the offices of United Nations Development Programme in Thailand and Botswana for co-organizing this Workshop with Thailand.
Please allow me to welcome the participants from Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The high-level representation of top policy makers and key actors is not only an encouragement, but also a blessing for future implementation of policies that will be born out of this workshop. Your representation offers hope to those who are hopeless.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thailand attaches high priority to Africa. Under “forward engagement” policy, Thailand is determined to expand our partnership with African countries. It is our conviction that the Year 2005, which is our “Year for Africa,” would pave the way for a long journey towards productive partnership.
The cooperation with the African region is based upon our firm commitment to the Eighth Millennium Development Goal, namely Global Partnership for Development. In this connection, Thailand and UNDP jointly organized a forum called “The Consultation on Africa-Thailand Partnership for Development” in Bangkok last year. The forum was aimed at defining the scope and priority of Thailand’s development cooperation with Africa.
Earlier this year, Thailand and UNDP also co-organized the first workshop on HIV/AIDS prevention and care in Nairobi. During the workshop, participants from ten central and northern African countries sincerely exchanged experiences and deliberated over the way forward. The earlier workshop and the one today are a testimony to our effort to promote the South-South cooperation. Let us do our best to ensure that this process continues with a strong momentum.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are now standing before a struggle of historic proportion. 70 million lives would be lost by the year 2010. This is more than a statistic. This is tragedy. In the face of new advance in medicine and science this is unacceptable. We must do more, much much more, to reinforce our solidarity in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
And this is precisely why we are here today. To supplement the international endeavors already pursued by governments around the world and UN agencies. Thailand has learned a painful lesson on how to cope with the deadly disease, and we would humbly like to share our experiences in the next few days.
In our battle with the disease, we have found it useful to build a caring society. In short, there must be community responses to HIV/AIDS. We must allow participation of people living with HIV/AIDS. We must incorporate them into the workplace. All these issues are to be fully discussed. Learn with us the lesson of grace and compassion.
We would also like to discuss our experiences with the ARV National Programme, and the ARV Procurement and Monitoring System. We must find ways to make it affordable to all, not only for the few, because so many precious lives depend on it. We no longer have the luxury to be patient.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thailand, in our capacity as the Chairman of the Human Security Network, has established partnerships with NGOs, civil societies and the private sector to involve multi-stakeholders in this important process. Recognizing that HIV/AIDS is not only a health concern but also a threat to human security, the Network has now developed a medium-term plan, in order to raise awareness on preventing the spread of the disease.
The Network, whose members and observers are from all continents, aims at creating a world where people are free from fear, free from want and are able to live in dignity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In closing, I challenge everyone in this great hall to make sure that the second workshop will be as successful as the first one, if not more. I challenge you to make suggestions and recommendations, however ambitious. So that there would be less suffering outside this great hall.
For we are now a world at risk. HIV/AIDS has claimed more lives than any weapons of mass destruction. We must mean what we say, when we say that the fight against HIV/AIDS is a race against time. And we must all fight it as a team. Together. Asia, Africa and the world.
Thank you.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5170
Fax. (02) 643-5169 E-mail : [email protected] End.
-PM-
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests and Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, I wish to thank the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health for being with us today, and express my appreciation to Botswana for co-hosting the Workshop on Comprehensive Response to HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care. My special thanks also go to the offices of United Nations Development Programme in Thailand and Botswana for co-organizing this Workshop with Thailand.
Please allow me to welcome the participants from Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The high-level representation of top policy makers and key actors is not only an encouragement, but also a blessing for future implementation of policies that will be born out of this workshop. Your representation offers hope to those who are hopeless.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thailand attaches high priority to Africa. Under “forward engagement” policy, Thailand is determined to expand our partnership with African countries. It is our conviction that the Year 2005, which is our “Year for Africa,” would pave the way for a long journey towards productive partnership.
The cooperation with the African region is based upon our firm commitment to the Eighth Millennium Development Goal, namely Global Partnership for Development. In this connection, Thailand and UNDP jointly organized a forum called “The Consultation on Africa-Thailand Partnership for Development” in Bangkok last year. The forum was aimed at defining the scope and priority of Thailand’s development cooperation with Africa.
Earlier this year, Thailand and UNDP also co-organized the first workshop on HIV/AIDS prevention and care in Nairobi. During the workshop, participants from ten central and northern African countries sincerely exchanged experiences and deliberated over the way forward. The earlier workshop and the one today are a testimony to our effort to promote the South-South cooperation. Let us do our best to ensure that this process continues with a strong momentum.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are now standing before a struggle of historic proportion. 70 million lives would be lost by the year 2010. This is more than a statistic. This is tragedy. In the face of new advance in medicine and science this is unacceptable. We must do more, much much more, to reinforce our solidarity in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
And this is precisely why we are here today. To supplement the international endeavors already pursued by governments around the world and UN agencies. Thailand has learned a painful lesson on how to cope with the deadly disease, and we would humbly like to share our experiences in the next few days.
In our battle with the disease, we have found it useful to build a caring society. In short, there must be community responses to HIV/AIDS. We must allow participation of people living with HIV/AIDS. We must incorporate them into the workplace. All these issues are to be fully discussed. Learn with us the lesson of grace and compassion.
We would also like to discuss our experiences with the ARV National Programme, and the ARV Procurement and Monitoring System. We must find ways to make it affordable to all, not only for the few, because so many precious lives depend on it. We no longer have the luxury to be patient.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thailand, in our capacity as the Chairman of the Human Security Network, has established partnerships with NGOs, civil societies and the private sector to involve multi-stakeholders in this important process. Recognizing that HIV/AIDS is not only a health concern but also a threat to human security, the Network has now developed a medium-term plan, in order to raise awareness on preventing the spread of the disease.
The Network, whose members and observers are from all continents, aims at creating a world where people are free from fear, free from want and are able to live in dignity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In closing, I challenge everyone in this great hall to make sure that the second workshop will be as successful as the first one, if not more. I challenge you to make suggestions and recommendations, however ambitious. So that there would be less suffering outside this great hall.
For we are now a world at risk. HIV/AIDS has claimed more lives than any weapons of mass destruction. We must mean what we say, when we say that the fight against HIV/AIDS is a race against time. And we must all fight it as a team. Together. Asia, Africa and the world.
Thank you.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5170
Fax. (02) 643-5169 E-mail : [email protected] End.
-PM-