Thank you Connie [Constance Newman, Assistant Administrator for Africa, the U.S. Agency for International Development]. It is a privilege to be with you here today to discuss HIV/AIDS.

I wish to thank my co-chair -- the Honorable Majozi Sithole, Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Swaziland; Assistant Secretary for Trade Development Linda Conlin from the U.S. Department of Commerce; Dr. Jendayi Frazer, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council; and our panelists, Mr. John Stover, Vice President of the Futures Group, and Mr. Percy Wilson, Senior Associate of the IRC Group, for being here today as well.

I just want to say a few words about the importance of this session and then turn it over to Assistant Secretary Conlin.

Assistant Administrator Newman, Assistant Secretary Conlin, and I returned on Sunday from a trip to Africa. We visited Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. What we were saw there, and what I've seen on previous trips to Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and elsewhere is the devastating toll that HIV/AIDS is taking in Africa.

The latest UNAIDS Epidemic Report gives us the numbers: between 25 and 28 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa; 3.2 million were newly infected in 2003; approximately 3 million people died due to HIV/AIDS in 2003; and more than 11 million children under the age of 15 in sub-Saharan Africa lost at least one parent to AIDS during the year.

The impact of HIV/AIDS is far-reaching. It affects every aspect of society, especially in countries with high prevalence rates. HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects the 15 to 49 year old age group -- the most economically productive segment of society -- more than any other group. HIV/AIDS impacts employers and businesses when their employees become sick and die. Revenue is lost in sick days and the turnover in workers.

You may know that I have been a businessman for most of my career. I believe that business has a great deal of expertise in fighting HIV/AIDS and can be a critical partner to government and non-governmental organization activities.

I am honored that the President asked me to serve as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator. In that role, I am responsible for implementation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- something that I feel is the most important responsibility I have ever had.

The Plan commits $15 billion over the next 5 years to prevent 7 million new HIV infections, treat at least 2 million people with life-extending drugs, and provide care for at least 10 million people affected by AIDS in 14 highly-affected countries in Africa and the Caribbean. The plan will continue U.S. bilateral HIV/AIDS programs in over 75 countries, and increase support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The United States is willing to do its part, but we will only be successful in stemming the tide of HIV/AIDS and meeting the President's Emergency Plan goals if we work together in partnership. We all must be willing, in word and in action, to confront this disease. Governments must work with non-governmental partners, such as faith-based and community groups, businesses, and foundations.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has led the effort in getting all sectors of society, at the local level, engaged in the fight against AIDS. Most importantly Ministers of Finance and Trade are getting involved in the Country Coordinating Mechanisms and supporting programs working to reduce the impact of AIDS. We should share best practices and make sure that we aren't duplicating our efforts.

Last week, while my colleagues and I were in Kenya, 9 members of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS announced an effort to expand HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs into the communities where they do business. They promised to work together, share information and resources, and do a better job of helping their employees and communities fight HIV/AIDS. This initiative is a perfect example of how we can all work together, using our comparative advantages, to fight this deadly disease.

Today, we have the opportunity to hear about the growing evidence that increasing trade and development, which provide the great benefits of which we are all aware, can also serve to create unintended consequences -- conditions conducive for the spread of HIV/AIDS -- conditions such as increases in economic and social inequality, consequences the rural to urban migration of people, and problems flowing from the activities associated with the movement of goods.

We also will hear about business activities and innovative public-private partnerships that offer a solution to addressing HIV/AIDS in local communities and in the workplace. I encourage you to participate in the discussion following the panelists' presentations and take the lessons back with you to your countries or organizations. Think about how we can use trade and development to limit the impact of HIV/AIDS.

I would now like to introduce Assistant Secretary Conlin who will offer brief remarks and then introduce the other panelists. After the panelists' presentations, Dr. Frazer will moderate an open discussion. Following the panel discussion, my co-chair Minister Sithole will give the closing remarks.

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