ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

Advocates for Youth Calls ONAP Appointment Important Step in Fighting the Global AIDS Pandemic

Office Expansion Recognizes HIV/AIDS As Threat To Health and Lives of One Billion Young People Worldwide

WASHINGTON, DC (April 11, 2001) Advocates for Youth's President, James Wagoner, today calls the expansion of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) to focus on both domestic and international HIV prevention efforts, "an important step in addressing the AIDS pandemic. President Bush should be congratulated."

"At a time when one-half of all new HIV infections worldwide occur in those under the age of 25, young people must have all of the information and services they need to protect themselves and their loved ones from HIV," said Wagoner. "The White House Office of National AIDS Policy can and should play a critical role in protecting the health and lives of millions of young people worldwide."

"We are hopeful that the appointment of Scott Evertz as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, as well as the recognition that HIV/AIDS is a global problem, is among the first of many forward-moving initiatives from the Bush Administration in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention," said Wagoner. "I am confident that the U.S. can make a significant contribution to HIV prevention efforts at home and abroad, but we must act swiftly, before more lives are lost unnecessarily."

Wagoner is not alone in his concerns. Young people themselves say that more can be done. "Every minute, five of my peers around the world become infected with HIV—that's 300 young people every hour," says Sean Barry, a junior at the University of Maryland College Park and a member of the International Youth Leadership Council of Advocates for Youth. "Young people cannot afford to lose any more time in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Every day that we delay action, 7,200 of my peers contract HIV."

Advocates for Youth is an international, nonprofit organization that works in the U.S. and the developing world to create programs and support policies that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

###

Note to Editors and Producers: For more information or to set up an interview with adolescent sexuality experts, please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.

RETURN TO INDEX OF PRESS RELEASES >>