26 July 1991

32nd plenary meeting

Prevention and control of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolution 1990/86 of 27 July 1990, General Assembly resolution 45/187 of 21 December 1990, relevant resolutions of the World Health Assembly and other organizations of the United Nations system, the London Declaration on AIDS Prevention, the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children, adopted by the World Summit for Children on 30 September 1990, and the discussions at the Seventh International Conference on AIDS, held at Florence, Italy, in June 1991,

Recalling also the resolutions of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the World Health Assembly concerning the need to respect the human rights and dignity of all people affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including those who live in their immediate environment, in particular their families,

Acknowledging the established leadership of the World Health Organization in mobilizing and coordinating AIDS prevention and control activities, including socio-behavioural and biomedical research,

Noting with appreciation the efforts of other organizations of the United Nations system, as well as Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and the public and private sectors, collaborating in the implementation of the global strategy for the prevention and control of AIDS,

Stressing the need to take full advantage of the World Health Organization/United Nations Development Programme Alliance to Combat AIDS and to strengthen its role in facilitating the implementation at the country level of the global strategy for the prevention and control of AIDS,

Aware that AIDS can have serious social and economic consequences, particularly in countries with a high incidence of HIV infection and limited public health services and other developmental resources,

Reaffirming that the struggle against AIDS should be consistent with and divert neither attention nor resources from other national public health priorities and development goals,

Aware that at least eight million to ten million HIV infections have occurred in adults and about one million children world wide, on the basis of which the current projection of the World Health Organization for the year 2000 is that there will be a cumulative total of about forty million HIV infections in men, women and children,

Emphasizing that the prevention and control of HIV infection and AIDS for women and children call for the strengthening and improvement of the primary health care system and for educational and other psychological, social and economic support programmes for women, children and families,

Concerned about the growing spread of HIV infection in existing areas as well as to new areas of the world, such as South-East Asia, which, if unchecked, could lead to a substantial increase over present estimates in the number of HIV infection and AIDS cases by the year 2000,

Also concerned about the growing gap between the resources required for AIDS prevention and control and the funding available, which is insufficient to combat the pandemic,

1. Takes note of the report of the Director-General of the World Health Organization on the global strategy for the prevention and control of AIDS;

2. Urges Governments to intensify their commitment and efforts for the prevention and control of AIDS within their countries, including mechanisms for multisectoral responses and concomitant plans;

3. Further urges Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to intensify their efforts to mobilize the human, financial and moral resources required to address the multiple effects of the AIDS pandemic;

4. Calls upon organizations of the United Nations system, Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to continue to coordinate their efforts with the World Health Organization in implementing the global strategy for the prevention and control of AIDS;

5. Requests the Secretary-General, in view of the adverse impact of HIV infection and AIDS on the health and economic and social well-being of men, women, children and families, to intensify his efforts, in close collaboration with the Director-General of the World Health Organization and all other relevant organizations of the United Nations system, to mobilize moral, technical and financial resources and to increase and sustain national multisectoral efforts for AIDS prevention and control;

6. Also requests the Secretary-General, in the light of the growing evidence that the AIDS pandemic's demographic, health, social, economic and political consequences will have a very substantial impact on all sectors of society and countries, to assess the adequacy of existing and projected programmes of work responding to the pandemic, in close collaboration with the Director-General of the World Health Organization and all other appropriate organizations of the United Nations system for the purpose of developing relevant activities to support national programmes for the prevention and control of the pandemic;

7. Invites the General Assembly, at its forty-sixth session, to consider the report of the Director-General of the World Health Organization and the response of the United Nations system to the AIDS pandemic and to take an appropriate decision on further action, taking into account the present resolution.