“TOWARDS HARMONY AMONG CIVILIZATIONS”
SPEECH BY DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
We gather here today to advance our common fight against one of the world’s most lethal and most successful killers : the HIV virus. To this date, this virus has killed some 25 million people worldwide, and counting. Some 75,000 people are said to contract HIV each day. In some countries and communities, HIV has raised the specter of a “lost generation”, a generation where the youth are doomed before reaching or completing their productive age. And in the short and medium terms, HIV death rate will continue to climb because we still have not found a vaccine or a cure for AIDS. Clearly, if we list the various global challenges that we need to sort out in the 21st century – from climate change to food security, from terrorism to diseases – combating HIV/AIDS would rank among the top of that list.
Today, ASEAN and the Republic of Korea reaffirm that strong cooperation for a brighter future. And I renew Indonesia’s commitment to this important partnership for our common progress and prosperity in the 21st century.
