THREE SPEAKERS [unison]: Welcome to the 14th International AIDS Conference.
MALE SPEAKER 1: First of all, we would like to express our gratitude to Her Royal Highness, Princess Elena de Bourbon, who will chair this opening ceremony, as well as thank the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Minister of Health, the Mayor of Barcelona, the president of the Fundacio of Barcelona, and the other distinguished guests and authorities who are here with us today. All of us here are different people from different countries, armed with different cultures and languages. But, at the same time, all of us make a great team working towards a single goal: the fight against AIDS.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: We live in a global world that must confront the risks of the new millennium.
MALE SPEAKER 2: And we all face a great challenge.
MALE SPEAKER 1: We must be capable of turning talk into action.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: Each word must be accompanied by a gesture.
MALE SPEAKER 1: Each idea must become a reality.
MALE SPEAKER 2: Each new step forward should be within the reach of all humanity.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: Each and every one of us, wherever we are, has the same longing in the bottom of our hearts.
MALE SPEAKER 2: A dream, a great desire that sparkles on the horizon.
MALE SPEAKER 1: A longing that goes beyond those of us here today. Shared in the world by millions of human beings. Researchers, scientists; people affected by and infected with AIDS; governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and people all over the planet.
MALE SPEAKER 2: And to demonstrate this desire to live in a world without AIDS and to express our solidarity, let’s wave our handkerchiefs with the colors of the 14th International AIDS Conference.
MALE SPEAKER 1: And, please, raise your blue handkerchiefs and wave the need for scientific knowledge to find answers for this terrible disease.
MALE SPEAKER 2: Now, those of you with yellow handkerchiefs, raise your yellow handkerchiefs, and let’s display the symbol of our commitment.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: Let’s raise the red handkerchief and hoist the emblem of action.
MALE SPEAKER 1: Let’s see them all!
MALE SPEAKER 2: And may this universal greeting, and the theme of this conference, be an unequivocal sign of our will, our purpose, and our support for all of those engaged in this struggle.
MALE SPEAKER 1: Let us send a message of hope to all those who, although not physically present here, are here in their hearts.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: To all those men and women, who via their laboratories, bedsides, streets, institutions, and NGOs, their absolute understanding and supportive attitudes strive day by day in the fight against the epidemic.
MALE SPEAKER 1: A friendly greeting from Barcelona.
MALE SPEAKER 2: A greeting which calls out across the waves.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: A greeting with life, color, and joyful (MS?).
MALE SPEAKER 1: Greetings...
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: And thousands of wishes.
MALE SPEAKER 2: For a world without AIDS and without the social and economic barriers that make its prevention and treatment so difficult.
MALE SPEAKER 1: The Barcelona Forum. A world of knowledge.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: A commitment from all.
MALE SPEAKER 2: A new step for global action.
[applause]
MALE SPEAKER 2: Thank you. And now, the co-presidents of the 14th International AIDS Conference would like to welcome you. First of all, Dr. Jordi Casabona, Director of the AIDS Epidemiology Study Center of the Department of Health of Catalonia.
[applause]
MALE SPEAKER 2: And if you would also allow me to present the second co-president, Dr. Jose Maria Gatell, head of the Infections Unit of the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona.
[applause]
DR. JORDI CASABONA: [Spanish language] Authorities from all the countries, presidents and members of IAS, colleagues and friends, good evening. Two years have passed since I said to many of you in Durban, “see you soon.” I can tell you that since then I have had some of the longest days of my life. But these two years have been among the shortest. Benviguts, bienvenidos, welcome to the 14th International AIDS Conference. I know that for some of you it has not been easy to get here, so I want to especially thank you for your persevering, and thank you to all of those who have helped in the process. Also, because our historical and cultural links with them, I am very happy to acknowledge the active and important participation of countries from the Latin American and Canadian region in the conference. [Spanish language]
[applause]
DR. JORDI CASABONA: For the past 21 years we have been exponentially gaining more information on the HIV virus and its determinants for spread, including, of course, the social-economic ones. Nevertheless, we know that all this information and knowledge is useless if it is not translated into effective progress. We also know that action should be done at the global scale, which is not possible without everyone’s commitment. This is, therefore, the conference theme: Knowledge and Commitment for Action. I am also convinced there is more knowledge and global political will than ever, and that we have a unique historical opportunity to translate them into economic commitments and scientific-based action.
We want this conference to be a forum to facilitate that discussion and catalyze that process. We have tried that by means of what we call “the Barcelona framework,” which adds three tracks to the core program of the conference. Because we believe this conference should say clearly that prevention works, and that it’s implementation can and should be improved, track D, prevention science, is aimed to collect specific presentations on the methods, results, and evaluation of preventive research and interventions. In track F, intervention and program implementation, you will find presentations on the planning, implementation, and monitoring of projects and activities, which, expanded properly, can actually change the impact of this pandemic in many countries and villages all over the world. And within track G, advocacy and policy, you will find presentations and debates on the strategies and policies that can help the implementation and scaling-up of these programs. We encourage you to share and discuss the social-economical and political barriers to prevention, treatment, and care access, and the approaches to overcome them. Our discussions together will eventually help in sustaining and scaling-up effective responses to AIDS. Therefore, we also welcome the presence of so many political leaders that we will have with us this week. Because we believe that effective action cannot happen without science, not without activism or policy, we have put together bridging sessions that will cover special relevant topics in an original, integrated approach, from basic science to policy. We encourage you to attend those sessions as well.
In summary, we have come out with an integrated program that, together with the skill-building sessions, will enable this conference to be a forum for sharing research and experience, as well as a tool to build up in strength effective strategies for action. Finally, we also wanted to make the conference an event that goes far beyond the venue and delegates, and for these reasons, through the cultural program, the local community committee and the collaboration of the local institutions, organizations, and the media, the city is full of conference-related activities. You will find that the citizens of Barcelona are well aware of the conference and its goals. So experience the conference and enjoy the city, or enjoy the conference and experience the city, or both if you can. But in any case, we wish you a useful and happy stay here. It will be an honor if this conference helps each of us to take a step further into action. Many thanks for coming.
[applause]
DR. JOSE MARIA GATELL: [Spanish] Under the help of the International AIDS Society and in close cooperation with UNA and the four NGO organizers, a large group of dedicated staff from several countries have been working very hard during almost four years to organize this 14th International AIDS Conference. Barcelona was selected as the site for International AIDS Conference during the International AIDS Society presidential terms of David Cooper and Mark Wanger. The choice of Barcelona was possible because they gave us almost immediate support by all relevant private institutions, from Catalonia and from Spain, and also from a private institution from (MS?). And because our hospital, hospital (MS?) and our universities, University of Barcelona and University Autonom of Barcelona allowed us to spend part of our time in the preparation of the conference. Thanks go out, indeed, to all of you here today, and especially Her Royal Highness Princess Elena. And also thanks to all Catalonian state and international leaders that are already present today or will participate in the conference discussions and sessions during the forthcoming days. Last but not least, the International AIDS Conference represents recognition of the organizational capability and of the hospitality and friendship of Barcelona. But overall, recognition of the contribution of the local Spanish scientific community and local nongovernmental organizations in the fight against AIDS. Each of the previous international AIDS conference represent a particular milestone in our fight against this epidemic. We will succeed if prevention and also a very simple and affordable therapy for all affected persons became the milestone of Barcelona.
[applause]
DR. JOSE MARIA GATELL: From a technical point of view, prevention, simplification of therapy, more findings of compounds six years after the introduction of the last one, and a very promising data on vaccines, at least (MS?) vaccines, will also be widely covered during the conference. The second challenge is to boost the momentum reached in Durban in order to maintain AIDS as a top priority in the political agendas. Despite the complicated international situation, many steps in the right direction have been done, but much more remains to be done yet.
[applause]
DR. JOSE MARIA GATELL: An additional challenge is being the first international AIDS conference in a Spanish-speaking country. In addition of recognizing the dramatic situation in southern Africa, southeast Asia, and eastern Europe, we have been especially sensitive to ask for active participation of our Spanish friends and colleagues, including the implementation of broad coverage of simultaneous translation from English to Spanish. In terms of objectives, the discussions and advices and recommendations of the 14th International AIDS Conference, amplified by the broad media coverage, should be a clear and irreversible message to all public and private agencies about prevention, about the simple and affordable anti-retroviral therapy and health care for every person who needs it. And, in summary, about the respect and empowerment of basic human rights.
{applause)
DR. JOSE MARIA GATELL: We have succeeded in convincing all of you to come to Barcelona, and we apologize to all of you who might have experienced some delays. Now, dear friends, the ball is in your court. Good science, increased commitment and quick and powerful action is what is needed to confront the pessimistic forecast and estimates of the UNAIDS. Finally, in terms of the statistics, thanks to all of you, this will be one of the largest, if not the largest, conference ever in terms of number of delegates. More than 15,000, including many delegates who are already here from sub-Saharan African countries, from southeast Asia, from Central and South America, and from eastern Europe. It will also be the biggest ever in the number of abstracts, in the multidisciplinary approach, in the comprehensiveness of the integrated conference program, and in the magnitude of the scholarship program mentioned, just a few examples, where 1,500 delegates and journalists from the developing world have been awarded a scholarship.
[applause]
DR. JOSE MARIA GATELL: However, being the largest conference ever is not enough. It is now up to you, ladies and gentlemen, to make it the best ever. But, dear friends, the conference is not an objective by itself. The real challenge is an effective and successful fight against the AIDS epidemic during the forecoming months and years. So, please, when you get back home after this week of hard work, work even harder to implement and disseminate the conference messages. Please start translating the science, the knowledge, and the commitment into action. Again, welcome, bienvenidos, benviguts a Barcelona. [Spanish]
[applause]
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: And now, the president of the International AIDS Society, Mr. Stefano Vella, will also like to give you warm greetings.
[applause]
MR. STEFANO VELLA: Good afternoon. Your Royal Highness, Infanta Elena, and all colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I’m here to welcome you to this conference. And on behalf of the International AIDS Society that helped to organize this conference, I would like to welcome three parties in particular. I welcome the governments that are present here, because we desperately need their commitment and their support. [applause] But let me say that in the past, at least, international AIDS conferences have not been the conferences of the governments, particularly of the governments of the north, because the history of this epidemic tells us that, with few epidemics but degree in the south, I’m citing Thailand, Uganda, Senegal, Brazil, with few exceptions, the governments have never been the driving force of this battle. They have, rather, followed the wake, and, according to their political agendas, but things are changing, and, really, we are waiting for their participation and support to this battle.
Then, I would like to welcome the scientists, because this is still an outstanding scientific conference. And I welcome them, not only because they invented the tools to fight HIV, but also because I never see, in the history of medicine, such a growing scientific activism, in terms that they included all of us, included access to medication and to care, to the south of the world, in our scientific agenda. And this is something, really, that I think never happened in the history of medicine. I think that all scientists progressively understood that they should take the lead with the idea that the advancement of medicine cannot be reserved to small numbers of human beings.
[applause]
MR. STEFANO VELLA: And, really, I also want to touch the issue of globalization here. It’s not my job, I’m a doctor. And I don’t want to discuss if it’s good or bad for humankind. But, what I would like to say, definitely, is that if there is one thing that really should be globalized, that is the right to a healthy life.
[applause]
MR. STEFANO VELLA: Now, I would like to welcome here the persons living with HIV/AIDS. Those that are here, [applause] and the millions that are not here today with us. And let me welcome, also, the nongovernmental organizations, because [applause] I think that if some changes will take place in this world – and I’m not just referring to HIV/AIDS – this will be because of the commitment and the work of so many NGOs and communities around the world. And, let me say that I’m proud to have led a kind of NGO, the International AIDS Society, better, a civil society organization, which is composed of scientists and healthcare workers, which was able, despite some criticism, to bring these kind of conferences to the south of the world, and we will do it again. Indeed, it has been a long journey from Durban. “Break the silence” was its theme, and I think that the silence indeed was broken in Durban. We then lost quite some time and some life debating if it’s better to bring more prevention or more care and treatment to the south of the world. I think that this is over now. This is over. And as Peter Piot said recently, we finally understood that the quality of future lives depends on the quality of present lives.
[applause]
MR. STEFANO VELLA: And, as an example, if we talk about preventing mother to child transmission, we cannot forget that we also need the mothers – and the fathers – alive. So, many great expectations have been generated during the Durban conference, and during the last couple of years. Let the Barcelona Conference – let this conference be the conference where expectations start to be really translated into action. Thank you very much.
{applause]
MR. STEFANO VELLA: And because you are talking about action, I take the liberty of taking two minutes of your time, because the organizers of two important demonstrations that took place yesterday and today, asked me the favor to translate to you their wishes, and I’m happy to do so. The organizers of the March – the Barcelona March for Life – gave me this declaration to you, that I’m happy to read. They declare, as activists pledged to life or persons with HIV/AIDS, that we are committed to the following goals: Securing donation of $10 billion per year for global aid; anti-retroviral treatment for at least 2 million people in the developing by the 2004 Bangkok Conference; lower affordable anti-retroviral drug prices in the developed world; and universal access to generics in the developing world by Bangkok 2004; and a new global partnership between government and NGOs, recognizing the primary role of NGOs in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.
I also have a declaration, which is similar in tone although it addresses a different issue. It’s the declaration that arrived from the NGO International Coalition, and (MS?) and other groups, that requires that all governments, as responsible international parties, unify their efforts and come up with specific answers today, not waiting for tomorrow. To translate their view, this into imminent action to prevention and treatment against AIDS, that all people living with AIDS, giving special attention to the disenfranchised groups, such as displaced persons, refugees, women, children, homosexuals, IV drug users and convicts, have access to prevention, care and appropriate treatment. And I’m happy to have been able to read this to you. Thank you very much.
[applause]
MALE SPEAKER 1: And, we are now going to see the co-organizers welcome you to this 14th International AIDS Conference.
MALE SPEAKER 3: Welcome to Barcelona, and the AIDS 2002 Conference. The theme this year is “Knowledge, Commitment, Action.” It’s about understanding what works, it’s about committing ourselves to making it happen, and it’s about acting upon it – acting upon it in ways we haven’t done before. Behind me is an AIDS memorial, with hundreds of names of those who have already passed away. But it’s only a fraction of the millions who have already died, and the millions who are now living with HIV and those affected world over. We’re thousands here, but there are literally hundreds of thousands waiting for us back home, whom we work with every day. The world is watching, waiting for us to come to new conclusions, to recommit, and to take bold, new steps. Have a great conference.
FEMALE SPEAKER 2: ICW will continue to sustain its fight against stigma, discrimination, of HIV positive women. Because this continues to affect women with HIV, even in 2002, we must ensure that women living with HIV are afforded with the right information to make sure that they make informed decisions and choices. It is our heartfelt hope that prior to the discussions that you will hold here in Barcelona, you will keep the issues of women living with HIV on the agenda. May you turn the knowledge that you are trained here into commitment and action when you get home.
[applause]
FEMALE SPEAKER 3: We welcome you to the cap of this exciting program, as we see what the world is doing to make a change into the AIDS epidemic. This conference is unique because we’re having exciting programs, where knowledge is being transmitted into action. As people living with HIV, we are committed to taking the leadership role in addressing the epidemic. On behalf of the global network of people living with HIV and AIDS, we would officially like to welcome the Spanish community and our friends from Latin America to this conference.
[applause]
MALE SPEAKER 4: The AIDS epidemic has been spreading in Spain, my country. Prevention is about sexual education, it’s about (MS?) change, it’s about women empowerment, it’s about respect. As a person living with HIV in Spain, I think there’s still a lot to do around here. We need again more knowledge, we need again more commitment, and we have to get there before March [?]. The Spanish HIV community welcomes the international community and all participants to this Barcelona conference. We can make a difference.
[applause]
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: And now some words from the president of the (MS?) of Barcelona, Mr. Manuel Troyes. [applause]
MANUEL TROYES: [Spanish language address]
MALE SPEAKER 2: Thank you, Mr. Troyes. And now some words from the Mayor of Barcelona, Mr. Juan Gros. [applause]
MR. JUAN GROS: [Spanish language] Welcome to Barcelona. I would like to start by warmly welcoming all the participants of the 14th International AIDS Conference to Barcelona. It is a great honor for Barcelona to hold the world’s most important AIDS summit. I would like to thank all those who helped make it possible for Barcelona to host this major event, Dr. Casabona and Dr. Gatell included. I am sure that the confidence that you have placed in us will be well rewarded. Our city, which in times has been host to big world meetings, is especially committed to this 14th AIDS conference. We have dedicated all our enthusiasm and organizational capabilities to the success of this conference. Barcelona has a long tradition and awareness towards the humane themes of this conference – public health, and the care of those less socially advantaged. Historically, Barcelona has always been an important center for health care and a pioneer in biomedical and epidemiological research. Since the emergence of AIDS, Barcelona has been working especially intensively in this field. We have developed risk prevention programs and assured that those affected have access to adequate care. Nevertheless, not enough has been done, neither in Barcelona nor in the rest of the world. Latest reports indicate that throughout the world the epidemic is on the rise, and in the next 20 years, 68 million – mostly children and youth – could lose their lives. The work that remains to be done is, quite simply, colossal. It is a worldwide challenge, and no one continent, country, city, or person can be left out. The Barcelona conference must aim to contribute new scientific achievement, but above all, must be a conference for global commitment to action. Sharing in the struggle to assure that the least of us receives treatment, and avoiding social exclusion. The AIDS problem raises the issue that the largest proportion of the world’s citizens do not have their basic needs covered. Coexistence, peace, and sustainability are values we all defend, and which cannot exist without dignity, equality, and justice. Poverty and its impact are, quite simply, unsustainable. Today we all recognize the existence of globalization, but this phenomenon existed even before we were aware of it. The results are not always fair, wanted, or visible. Our economic globalization already exists – we want justice, welfare, and human rights to be globalized. [applause] What we are talking about universal rights for democracy, equality for women, education for children, (MS?) in governments, access to health care. In conclusion, we are talking about assuring a future, a future for the people. The world is not an intro-place. It is constructed of ideological, political, cultural, and religious values. And we have to choose. We must learn to choose. If we do not bring about the world we want, it will change without us. Never before has there been so much talk about the way the world is evolving, the way it’s changing. There is even an (MS?) perplexity, and even anger over many things. It is in this context that Barcelona will be holding the 2004 Forum for Culture. Barcelona will be convening a worldwide encounter, a new event, a major meeting of reflection and celebration dedicated to cultural diversity and the conditions for peace. Be assured, it will be about ways of living together, which is what our world needs. Barcelona, capital de Catalonia, y [Spanish] Welcome to Barcelona. Thank you.
[applause]
MALE SPEAKER 5: At the beginning, AIDS caused uncertainty, fear, and rejection.
FEMALE SPEAKER 4: The virus cruised slowly and spread throughout all the countries.
MALE SPEAKER 5: Ignorance, stigmatization, denial of the problem, and a lack of understanding also grew around it.
FEMALE SPEAKER 4: In the complex situation, the specialists try to understand anew a continuously evolving disease.
MALE SPEAKER 5: Until, little by little, science and research are discovering how it works.
FEMALE SPEAKER 4: Activism and the testimonies of many people help to eradicate discrimination, marginalization, and stigmatization.
MALE SPEAKER 5: Things are going to get better. We will know more and accept more.
FEMALE SPEAKER 4: (MS?) We need global commitment and solidarity.
MALE SPEAKER 5: That commitment to action, and a global political commitment that makes this action possible.
FEMALE SPEAKER 4: Prevention and treatment need to be accessible by everyone. That’s the great thing.
MALE SPEAKER 5: The great challenge that’s worth fighting for.
IN UNISON: We have to make it happen.
[applause]
[music]
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: A couple of days ago, when we were talking about the conference, I got very thoughtful and emotional, and I wanted to write something for tonight to contribute. Well here it is: If I could embrace the world as a sign of hope, as a sign of humanity, as a sign of health, I would not care if my arms hurt. If I could do something, something which would grow in my heart, and manifest itself as (MS?), I would do it. If in my faith there was a helping hand, this warm embrace, and in my hope was accordance, and in my smile was the shine of the new morning, where I would wake up and feel the freshness of a united world, a better one, a healthy and happy one, the one I start to see now here. That day, I will be born again. In my dreams, I’ve crossed rivers, jumped shadows, and hugged trees. And my faith will be strengthened by a smile and a deep, deep sigh. [applause]
MALE SPEAKER 1: And now, Mr. Jose Maria Mendiluce, chairman of the Green and European Solidarity Foundation, will say a few words.
JOSE MARIA MENDILUCE: [Spanish] Dear friends, queridos amigos y amigas. I would like to address my first greeting to those who were not able to be here today; to those delegates to the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona who have had difficulties in getting visas in order to travel.
[applause]
JOSE MARIA MENDILUCE: Even if, finally, there were not so many, their situations were one of the main contradictions and problems in the struggle against AIDS. In a world without borders for climatic change or for the AIDS epidemic, human beings have to confront more and more social, economic, and political borders and obstacles that prevent the free circulation of peoples. To all those who have not been able to come, my warmest regards and my solidarity. To those who will never be able to be here again, my respect and my heartfelt memory. [applause] And to all of you, welcome to Barcelona. Over the past few days, we have again been shocked by the UNAIDS statistics and reports. Figures of millions of dead and sick, of human tragedies that cover all the continents, all social conditions, and all human realities, have confirmed what we cannot forget: AIDS destroys and kills with no questions asked, no discrimination. But in the same way that hurricanes don’t cause the same number of victims in Florida than they do in Central America or the Caribbean, this epidemic has more dramatic consequences in certain social realities. Only one planet, yes, but with many worlds. From north to south, from east to west, is the cruel setting for a savage epidemic that multiplies the pain in places where live is lived amidst poverty or extreme poverty, and with very little hope.
I’m not going to give you more data – I’m not a scientist or an expert. After many years of working for the United Nations, I decided to get involved in politics in order to denounce injustice and to contribute to urgently necessary political changes, like those needed to fight against AIDS. Authorities must respond to the challenge. [applause] We have made much progress in research, in prevention, and in health care, but now we find ourselves at the crossroads. We must decide, with responsibility and commitment, which path we wish to take and what are our priorities. Never before in history has there been so much knowledge and yet, at the same time, so much uncertainty. And, in some respects, such a great distance between the magnitude of the tragedy and the weakness of the answers.
Three objectives are crucial, in my view. First, the fight against AIDS is the fight for human rights. And among others, the rights to health care, sanitation, clean water, and generic medicines are basic to the rights of people affected by AIDS. [applause] While we must insist on the preventive, educational, and medical aspects in the fight against the illness, we will fail dramatically if we did not stress equally the necessary vaccines for public health. That is vital and indispensable. Second, the fight against AIDS is the fight for freedom and equality. People at risk don’t exist, instead there are risk tendencies in social context in which the virus of the epidemic flourishes. We’re have made progress in overcoming attitudes that blame certain social groups and communities, but there is still much to be done to prevent those interested in promoting AIDS as a scourge of fear, based on policies of morality, as opposed to social and health policies. When one insists on identifying, for example, immigrants with crime, it’s the same as relating AIDS with drug addiction or, most (MS?) with poverty, and in this way, it causes a dangerous threat to our communal coexistence and our freedom.
Third, the fight against AIDS is the fight for another mode of international relations, for another possible world. We can clearly state that the struggling against poverty and social exclusion helps the prevention of AIDS, and that sustainable development and an alternative model of international economic relations are the best prevention for more than half of the planet. Poverty is the greatest epidemic in the world. Whole societies and continents are forgotten, excluded, or left in despair, and are the fermentation of epidemics. Additionally, we must remember and increase our commitments towards developing countries, providing the resources necessary in order to give HIV tests, to acquire or produce drugs at a fair price, and to promote educational programs for prevention and health. Lastly, AIDS is a reflection of the global illness of our planet, of our societies, and of our model of international relations. It is also a reflection of the profound gap between the countries of the north and the south. While in the healthy countries, wealthy countries, HIV/AIDS has begun to ebb, the tide of epidemic continues to engulf the developing countries, worsening the terrible health gap. When 3 billion people depend on one ingo (MS?) a day to barely survive, and one ingo is what one condom costs in this city, the debate between science and politics can seem obscene. Why we don’t modify the largest [applause] Death, or no future, cannot be the future of the majority of humanity. Perhaps science and medicine still need or want more time. But politics and society cannot wait any longer. The time for action and commitment is now. We are already fed up, tired, with the failure of too many important summits, of the shortsighted egoism of too many rulers that pretend to be leaders, of the responsibility of too many authorities [applause]. The government responsibility for the international security coalition created after the 11th of September, should be conscious of the fact that, just as security is not possible without justice, global health will not be possible without the struggle against poverty and social exclusion.
[applause]
JOSE MARIA MENDILUCE: The world is watching us right now. The world awaits positive results from this 14th Conference, results that save millions of lives, and that improve the quality of life of millions of people who are ill. There is no time to waste, and words are not enough. We need commitments for urgent action, and we have no right to rhetoric. Please don’t disappoint them. Good luck and good work. Beaucoup de chances et bonne travail, muchas gracias, thank you very much.
[applause]
MALE SPEAKER 2: Thank you, Mr. Mendiluce.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: The time has come to carry out one of our most symbolic actions of this inaugural ceremony.
MALE SPEAKER 2: A ritual performed all over the world in memory of those who have died from AIDS.
MALE SPEAKER 1: And, today, in Barcelona, to preside over the candlelight ceremony of this 14th International AIDS Conference, we have the immense honor of welcoming Miss María José Vázquez.
MALE SPEAKER 2: Accompanied on the cello by Damia Martinez (MS?).
MARÍA JOSÉ VÁZQUEZ: Welcome to everybody. As you know, language is power, so I’m going to use my mother tongue – Spanish – to address these words as an active member of the community.
MARÍA JOSÉ VÁZQUEZ: Quiero empezar dando una cálida bienvenida a todas y a todos los que habéis podido asistir a esta conferencia, aunque lamento profundamente que una parte de la comunidad internacional no se encuentre aquí debido a la lamentable política de visados del gobierno español.
A continuación, me gustaría compartir con vosotras y vosotros algunas cosas que para mí son de vital importancia, desde las diferentes identidades que en mi confluyen y sobre mi influyen, para realizar aquellas cosas en las que creo y que defiendo. Creo en una comunidad entendida como una congregación de personas que viven unidas y que participan en el objetivo común de las defensa de los derechos de las personas y en concreto de las personas VIH+.
Creo en el trabajo de la comunidad y la sociedad desde la justicia, con la razón y acomodado al mérito y condición de cada persona como ser humano. Una comunidad que atienda, por tanto, a las necesidades específicas de cada uno de sus miembros, que tenga en cuenta sus valores y que comprenda que cada persona es un ser único y con el derecho a serlo.
Creo en una comunidad en la que prime la compasión, es decir, el sentimiento de aflicción motivado por las desgracias o males que padece el otro y también de alegría ante su buenaventura. Este sentimiento se ha definido a veces como empatía, pero a mí me gusta llamarlo humanidad.
También creo en la ética como filosofía de base para el trabajo en la comunidad. La ética que determina que aquí cabemos todas y todos, la que determina que no todo vale ni todo es tolerable; la ética que nos dicta que para tener una comunidad y una sociedad mejores es preciso trabajar teniendo como brújula los derechos humanos.
Por todo ello reivindico la dignidad como clave para la lucha contra el SIDA. Porque dignidad significa vivir con calidad de vida. Significa tener poder para desplazarse libremente a cualquier lugar del mundo, y que todas las personas con VIH tengan acceso a tratamientos ARV, sea cual fuere su raza, sexo, procedencia, nivel social u ocupación. Dignidad significa poder disponer de políticas de prevención eficaces ya, procurar el empowerment individual y la justicia social. Dignidad significa, en suma, acabar con el estigma que conlleva la peor de las muertes: la muerte social. También quisiera aquí y ahora recordar y honrar a las personas que han muerto por causas asociadas al VIH: desnutrición, pobreza, tuberculosis, miedo, pena, neunomía, ensayos clínicos, negligencia, aislamiento social, violencia de género y tantas otras.
Pero deseo que este recuerdo amoroso no nos permita olvidar que la luz de las velas tiene que ser al mismo tiempo nuestra inspiración para continuar la lucha contra el VIH, para hacer que prevalezca una comunidad que defienda la ética, la justicia y la dignidad desde el conocimiento y el compromiso para la acción.
[music] [applause]
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Mr. Peter Piot, representing the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, would like to say some words of welcome. [applause]
PETER PIOT: Your Royal Highness, Infanta Elena, honorable President of the General Etap de Catalonia, Ministers, queridos amigos. Twenty years in the epidemic, each of us bears painful memories. But as this conference begins, lets draw on our collective legacy of courage to take us to the next stage of our struggle, a stage where the promises are delivered. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asked me to convey the following message: This conference brings together the world’s best thinkers on AIDS, the most resolute decision makers, and the most trenchant activists. I hope you will take the power of your vision to every community on the planet, and to every leader of every country. And I will join with you and do my utmost to ensure that I reply to this epidemic as urgent, comprehensive, and determined. Kofi Annan has made AIDS a personal priority, and so too have these 30 presidential deputies who have taken direct command of their national AIDS responses. So too have the presidents, the prime ministers, and the numerous ministers who attend this conference. Their involvement signals a new era: the era of AIDS as a global political issue. There are signs of progress, no doubt. There’s more money spent on AIDS than ever before – six times as more in developing countries than in 1998. There are more actors than ever. The pioneers, gay men, have now been joined by many, many others. Who would have thought that the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church would want to see me to discuss AIDS? Or the CEO of Daimler/Chrysler? Or that a meeting of African heads of states would be quizzed by a child on why they fought wars, not AIDS?
But this is just a beginning. It’s now clear that the AIDS epidemic is still in its early stages. It must be equally clear our fight back is at an even earlier stage. Are you ready to meet the challenge? To fight AIDS on the political stage, where struggles over power and discourses are fought? The promises have been made; now they have to be kept. Governments promised leadership – all of them – at the UN special session on AIDS last year, and in innumerable summits. The pharmaceutical industry has promised to make AIDS drugs available to developing countries at affordable prices. Scientists and public health officials to work where the real leads are, not just to follow the grants and publication. And parents the world over promise their children: I will protect you. I will give you the knowledge and support that will let you protect yourself. Raid these promises, and we lose the fight against AIDS.
So, world leaders, take note: success is possible. Prevention efforts in a growing number of developing countries clearly demonstrate that significant declines in HIV transmission are possible. Anti-retroviral treatments have slashed mortality in the rich countries. Brazil has shown it can be done elsewhere. So why, 20 years on, is the epidemic still expanding dramatically? Why are only 30,000 Africans getting anti-retroviral treatments when 100 times the number need it? Why are three-quarters of a million babies born with HIV each year when it’s eminently preventable? The answers are about power and priorities. So let’s be clear about ours. Prevention and care are complimentary, not competing. Prevention secures the future, and treatment says lives and money immediately. No nation would refuse to fight an invading army because some expert argued it would be cheaper to invest in defenses against future invasions.
[applause]
PETER PIOT: So, too, with AIDS. It’s not a matter of prioritizing lives now or with lives tomorrow. And, to repeat what Stefano said, the quality of future lives depends on the quality of life today. [applause] Treatment is technically feasible in every part of the world. Even the lack of infrastructure is not an excuse, because I don’t know a single place in the world where the real reason AIDS treatment is unavailable is that the health infrastructure has exhausted its capacity to deliver it. [applause] It’s not knowledge that’s the barrier; it’s political will.
[applause]
PETER PIOT: Ten billion dollars annually, ten billion euros annually, is all it will take for a minimum credible response to the epidemic. It’s three times more than is available today. Every funder – government, business, citizens, and the new Global Fund – need to get behind this target and start raising their share. The world stood by while AIDS overwhelmed sub-Saharan Africa. Never again. [applause] We cannot stand by as passive observers while other continents repeat history, and we must not fail Africa now in her attempts to turn back the epidemic’s devastation. For sustained progress against the epidemic, we must put AIDS firmly on the political agenda that shapes the world order; a world beyond just science and classic public health. International trade negotiations may make as big a difference to AIDS treatment as any number of national treatment plans. Global imposed capsule public sector spending in developing countries must not fight inflation at the expense of sustained investment in AIDS. Middle income countries with a high HIV burden, such as Botswana, must benefit from the most favorable conditions for assistance and loans so they don’t become undeveloping countries. [applause] It’s not just about gross domestic product – life is about more. Achieving education for all is a critical first step to addressing the general inequities fueling this epidemic. So, let’s make the AIDS response truly political. Let’s bring forward today, world leaders who keep their promises on AIDS are rewarded with our trust, and those who don’t, lose their job to those who will. [applause]
The first deliberate date for promises made in the (MS?) declaration of commitment is 2003 – next year. When this conference gathers again in Bangkok, we will know who has delivered. Bangkok will be a time of accountability. We did not come to Barcelona to renegotiate promises. We’re here to ignite leadership to keep the commitments. And we must make an uncompromising attack on stigma, and that’s not negotiable. We must strengthen the alliance that will deliver an HIV vaccine – that’s not negotiable. We must deliver both prevention and treatment at full scale, and that’s not negotiable. [applause] We must find 10 billion dollars – that’s not negotiable. [applause] And whenever and wherever we’ve succeeded against AIDS, it has been by challenging power and turning conventional wisdom on its head. Now is the time for our movement to turn up the heat, roll up our sleeves, and deliver for our constituencies. That should be our promise, and that’s the promise we’ll keep, and that’s not negotiable. Thank you.
[applause]
MALE SPEAKER 2: Thank you, Mr. Piot. And now we’re going to hear from the Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs for the Spanish Government, Miss Celia Villalobos.
[audience]
CELIA VILLALOBOS: [Spanish] In the name of the Spanish government, welcome everybody. Benviguts, bienvenidos. [Spanish language address]
MALE SPEAKER 1: Now a few words from the President of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, The Right Honorable Mr. Jordi Pujol. [applause]
MR. JORDI PUJOL: [Spanish] Ladies and gentlemen. Let me, first of all, on behalf of the people of Catalonia, and in my condition as President of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, have you very welcome to Catalonia and to its chief town, Barcelona. Let me also tell you, for the choice of Barcelona for the seat of a so-important congress. I hope that your stay in Barcelona will be useful and enjoyable. We are all glad to find that during the last years there has been a great mobilization against AIDS all around the world, and that, more and more, people are conscious of the extreme seriousness of this illness all around the world. This very serious illness all in some countries or in a continent, we know that there is a danger in the next future of a strong spreading of AIDS in some countries and continents here today not so seriously affected. The answer to this challenge has been important, but not yet sufficient. You, during these days here in Barcelona, you will discuss about that. Obviously you will discuss about many scientific and technological aspects, but also about the willingness – the willingness of organizations, of the governments, of the international institutions, of the nongovernment organizations, and so on. And you will discuss also about the capacity and the will of the world. (MS?) people who have spoken before (MS?) that the most important thing overcoming this epidemic is the political will, and that is true. The political will of nations, of governments, but also the will, the real will of all the corporations. We hope the answer that the last international conference in Durban began (MS?) with the commitment of the economic contribution, will be renewed and reinforced. And that will be done in a sincere way. Because you know, you know very well, that often what lacks (MS?) in these spectacular conferences is sincerity. It is the real will to do what has been accepted in the conference. And you know very well that we need not an answer of promises and speeches, but of acts. In fact, we all are confronted with a challenge that is scientific, obviously, and technical, obviously, but also political; a challenge of capacity of organization, in the north and in the south, and of moral rule. A challenge not only for a part or a share of mankind, but for the whole world. We know that the world has enough resources to win the challenge. I repeat: the world has enough resources for resolving, for overcoming this challenge. We have been able in the past to struggle efficiently against many serious epidemics, and the world has been able, for instance, to (MS?) very substantially the expectancy of life in the great majority of countries. So, we will also be able to struggle efficiently against AIDS and these consequences. The fact that in the past we have been (MS?) to overcome this great (MS?) of humanity, this gives us confidence in the sense that we will be able in the future also to overcome AIDS. We hope that this conference of Barcelona will mean an important progress in this sense. We know that the solutions of such a problem cannot be quick and (MS?), but we hope that it will be a significant progress in the right reaction. Thank you. [applause]
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: By the way of conclusion, it’s our greatest pleasure and privilege to invite Her Royal Highness, Princess Dona Elena de Bourbon, to honor us by closing the opening ceremony, inaugurating the 14th International AIDS Conference. Welcome.
[applause]
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS: [Spanish language address] Muchas gracias, thank you very much, merci beaucoup.
[applause]
[music] [music continues over further speaking]
MALE SPEAKER 1: These opening ceremonies are coming to an end. But we had a great experience sharing this evening with you (MS?) Full of longings, full of hopes.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: On behalf of the 14th International AIDS Conference, we thank you for coming, and we hope you will have a pleasant stay here in Barcelona. We know that your contributions will be vital.
MALE SPEAKER 2: We also hope that the intensive week’s work ahead here at the conference proves to be very fruitful indeed.
MALE SPEAKER 1: (MS?) the fulfillment of the (MS?) in the speeches during the ceremony. We have faith in your knowledge.
MALE SPEAKER 2: We admire your commitment.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: May the whole world be prompted into action.
UNISON: Knowledge. Commitment. Action.
MALE SPEAKER 2: The warmest of greetings and welcome on behalf of the members of Committee Acts (MS?). Just to remind you that when you leave the area, we invite you to join the party that we’ve prepared for all the conference delegates and special guests. There you will be able to get to know each other (MS?) informally and to have a great exchange of ideas and experiences promised by the 14th International AIDS Conference.
FEMALE SPEAKER 1: (MS?) every afternoon at quarter to six at the (MS?) in front of the (MS?). There we will do our countdown ritual. So don’t miss the day’s ceremonies. Thank you. Bye.
[music]