Annan: World leaders not moving fast enough on HIV/AIDS

In a report card issued Monday to the United Nations General Assembly on the progress of commitments made during the Millennium Summit in September 2000, U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan said world leaders are "not moving fast enough" in the fight against HIV/AIDS and currently appear unlikely to meet goals set for 2015. Annan said that while a few countries, including Uganda and Thailand, have slowed the spread of HIV, most have failed to implement adequate HIV/AIDS policies and programs. "The record of the international community in the first two years of implementing the Millennium Declaration is, at best, mixed," he said. "In the remaining 13 years, progress must be made on a broader front. Otherwise, the ringing words of the declaration will serve only as grim reminders of human needs neglected and promises unmet." The declaration was adopted by 189 countries at the 2000 gathering.