Mr. President,

1. At the outset, allow me to extend our sincere congratulations to you, Sir, on your delegation's assumption of the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of January in the new millennium. We have confidence that under your delegation's wise and able guidance, the issues before the Council will be brought to a successful conclusion. Allow me also to extend felicitations to Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, for his skillful stewardship of the Council's activities last month.
2. The Indonesian delegation would like to avail of this opportunity to express its appreciation to you and the members of the Council for convening today's open-debate of the Council on "The Impact of AIDS on Peace and Security in Africa" at this critical juncture in the African continent. We also commend the format of the discussion today, enhancing the possibility of further involvement of Member States that are not Members of the Council to participate on issues under discussion in the Security Council. Likewise, we look forward to the application of such a format on discussions of crucial issues concerning the maintenance of international peace and security.
3. Before proceeding further, I should like to express our sincere gratitude to the Secretary-General for his remarks which focused our attention to his innovative suggestions and ideas for improving the United Nations partnership with Africa regarding ways to overcome the AIDS issue. Let me further express our sincere appreciation to the Vice-President of the United States for his informative introductory remarks at the opening of this important meeting.
4. In welcoming this open-debate on an issue which has evoked wide-spread interest and concern, it is worth noting, that AIDS, particularly in Africa, is complex and multidimensional. It needs to be urgently addressed by the international community. Certainly at this stage it is beyond the capacity of any single Government to respond. In that regard, this issue has also been the focus of other bodies of the United Nations system. Today's discussion before the Council surely will enhance the multidimensional approach to address this issue in the continuing endeavor to overcome its devastating repercussions. Nevertheless, the issue of maintenance of peace and security, especially in Africa where most conflicts still persist, should remain the focus of the Council's attention.

Mr. President,

5. In his Report to the Security Council's on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and security in Africa, the Secretary-General has underscored the fact that the struggle to bring about peace and security in Africa is inextricably linked to economic growth and development. In the absence of sustained socio-economic progress, it is doubtful if lasting peace and stability could be secured. And, as the report further highlights, conflict prevention and post-conflict peace-building are meaningless unless they can enable a society to develop.

6. What has not been as clearly established or as widely recognized is the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on peace and security. Though there is little direct study on the impact of AIDS on stability and security in Africa, many believe that the devastating impact of the disease on the fabric of society, is self evident. At the same time, deprivation and poverty are well recognized as nonmilitary sources of conflict and instability. Thus the connection between AIDS and security is a credible one. The widespread epidemic that is currently devastating many countries in Africa can be clearly discerned as impacting not only development but also constituting a perennial source of political insecurity and instability.

7. The rapid spread and devastating consequences of HIV-AIDS is numbing. In 1998, 33.4 million people were afflicted with the AIDS virus and the numbers were increasing by 10% per year making the vial disease the fourth-largest killer in the world and the number one overall cause of deaths in Africa. With only one tenth of the world's population, Africa dwarfs the rest of the world on the HIV-AIDS balance sheet. Nine of the world's most-affected countries are in Africa with at least a tenth of the adult population carrying HIV. It is now widely recognized that HIV as being the single greatest threat to future economic development in Africa, constituting a massive development crisis that could obliterate decades of health and social development progress. As a result, life expectancies have plunged to the same low levels as in the 1960s.

8. According to available statistics, it seems that poverty, drug abuse and neglected populations, including women are the most vulnerable ones. What is also of deep concern is the increasing numbers of infants and children who are being infected with and dying from AIDS. With the growing costs of addressing the health services in many countries, it is no longer possible to meet the escalating demands created by HIV. For example, it is estimated that in one heavily affected country AIDS will consume 60% of the health budget by 2005. In addition literacy rates are dropping in AIDS stricken households where schoolchildren are taken out of school to save the fees and/or to work. Youths, especially young girls are particularly vulnerable to the HIV virus.

Mr. President,

9. To address this complex and pervasive crisis in Africa, my delegation believes that the international community should undertake a sincere commitment to eradicate this scourge through a developmental approach . The health needs of Africa must be borne by international burden sharing. However, we are all aware of the difficult road ahead, as financial and human resources needed to deal with this epidemic is woefully inadequate both at the national and international level. What does show promise, however, is the multisectoral approach of the joint UN program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) which is co-sponsored by many bodies of the UN and provides effective system-wide coordination. In this light, a coordinated, multisectoral approach and backed by adequate resources, is urgently needed.

10. Other constructive initiatives that Indonesia supports, include the UN system's strategic plans for 1996-2000 and 2001-2005 at the international level. We are encouraged by the number of goals set by the 21st Special Session of the UN General Assembly. Such goals include, among others, the need to reduce the spread of HIV by 25% of the prevalence of HIV among young people by the year 2005 in the most affected countries.

Mr. President,

11. Turning briefly to what should be done in the future, I would first urge that the UNAIDS should be further strengthened and adequately funded. Secondly, my delegation is of the view that the eradication of HIV/AIDS should be integrated into the global development process as well as national development strategies. In this context, we also recognize that to meet the enormity of the epidemic problem in Africa, there is a need for a response of emergency proportions. We thus agree with the conclusions of the UNAIDS report to the substantive session of the ECOSOC in July 1999 in document E/1999/64. This included the need for intensifying and widening UN partnerships with governments, business and NGOs.

12. In conclusion, Mr. President, my delegation would like to share the vision that we should all seek to work for a world free from the unprecedented human disaster of HIV/AIDS. A world in which HIV/AIDS transmission is substantially reduced; where there is affordable treatment; where there is substantial reduction in individual and collective vulnerability to the epidemic; where there is a significant alleviation of the adverse impact of the disease on individuals, communities and nations; and where the silence surrounding the disease is broken forever and thereby sharply reducing the stigma and denial that have stifled resolution. Indonesia believes that this vision can only be achieved through partnership and we thus support the recommendations that the ECOSOC should encourage the UNAIDS in its efforts to develop a global strategy based upon this shared vision. I sincerely believe that only through such a multisectoral approach which is promoted through partnership can HIV/AIDS be successfully combated in Africa, development successfully fostered and peace and security successfully ensured.

Thank you, Mr. President