Obama, Celebrity Panel: 2015 May Be Start of Ending of AIDS

President Obama and a panel of experts, celebrities and social leaders promised that their combined efforts could start the ending of the disease's global epidemic as early as 2015. The group's bold statement is based on the idea that before the next decade, an entire generation of births could occur without new infections through prevention efforts.

"Today we come together across countries, cultures and faiths to combat the pandemic of AIDS," Obama told a packed Jack Morton Auditorium on George Washington University's campus. "Back in those early days, few could imagine we'd talk of the possibility of an AIDS-free world. Make no mistake – we're going to win this fight."

Obama said his administration was leading the next assault on AIDS after the strong work of his predecessor, George W. Bush. Citing Bush's landmark President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Obama pledged an additional $50 million to the plan, which he said would come from savings and budget cuts. PEPFAR tackles the AIDS pandemic by providing medication to impoverished regions and preventing additional infections through care and education.

"This is a day to see success and renew our commitment," said former President Bush via satellite from Tanzania. "There is no greater admission than living out the adage that to whom much is given much is required. It is our responsibility to combat this disease."

Former President Bill Clinton, English singer-songwriter Elton John and Tanzania's President Jikaya Kikwete also called in via satellite. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, U2 lead singer Bono, and Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), meanwhile, were some of the luminaries on a Q&A panel that took place after Obama's announcement. Rubio said the global show of support for ending the disease shows America's influence in eradicating AIDS once and for all.

SOURCE: http://www.christianpost.com/news/obama-celebrity-panel-2015-may-be-start-of-ending-of-aids-63702/