Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 5.djvu/950

 112 STAT. 3708 PROCLAMATION 7056—DEC. 1, 1997 givers make to the quality of our national life, let us resolve to work through our community, religious, social, business, and other organizations to offer programs and services that will provide caregivers the support and encouragement they need to carry out their vital responsibilities. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 23 through November 29, 1997, as National Family Caregivers Week. I call upon Government officials, businesses, communities, educators, volunteers, and all the people of the United States to acknowledge the invaluable efforts of caregivers this week and throughout the year. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-second. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7056 of December 1, 1997 World AIDS Day, 1997 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation For more than 15 years, America and the world have faced the challenges posed by HIV and AIDS. This devastating disease respects no borders and does not discriminate. In every city, town, and community, we have lost sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, life partners and friends. HIV and AIDS have affected us all, regardless of income, region, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or age. Sadly, both the nvunber of people living with AIDS and the number of new HIV infections is rising worldwide. This year, as we observe the tenth World AIDS Day, we recognize with particular concern the toll HIV and AIDS continue to take on our children and youth. The statistics are heartbreaking. In America alone, more than 7,500 children under the age of 13 have been diagnosed v\Qth AIDS. Every houx of every day, two more Americans under the age of 21 become infected with HIV. Around the world, more than 1 million children are living with HIV and AIDS. Twelve hundred children die of AIDS each day, even as 1,600 more become infected with the HIV virus. Compounding this tragedy is the terrible reality that many of the world's yoiuig people who are living with HIV and AIDS do not have access to the life-extending drugs and medical protocols that our scientists and doctors have developed. There is also a critical shortage of prescription drugs suitable for children suffering from pediatric HIV and AIDS. Of the 14 approved drugs for adults and adolescents, only five are approved for children. From the earliest days of my Administration, we have sought to meet the challenges posed by AIDS with increased resources and action. T am proud of oui success, with the cooperation of the Congress, in dra-

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