Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and
former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are among the
politicians expected to attend the 19th International AIDS
Conference taking place at the Washington Convention Center next
week.
President Barack Obama will record a
brief video message for attendees.
“The president will not be speaking
at the conference,” White House spokesman Shin Inouye told gay
weekly the Washington
Blade. “He will provide a brief video message to welcome
conference attendees from around the world to Washington.”
This is the first time that the United
States has hosted the conference since 1990 due to a travel ban which
restricted people living with HIV from entering the country. In
2009, President Obama signed legislation which ended the 22-year ban.
Senior Obama Administration officials –
in addition to Hillary Clinton – participating in the conference
include Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius;
U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby; Director of the
White House Office of National AIDS Policy Grant Colfax; and Anthony
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, NIH.
Obama's decision not to attend was met
with varying reactions from HIV/AIDS advocates.
“While we are disappointed that
President Obama will be unable to address the International AIDS
Conference in person, his decision to address attendees via video
demonstrates the importance he places on AIDS 2012 and HIV,” said
Brian Hujdich, executive director of HealthHIV. “As the first
president to set a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy and pass
meaningful healthcare reform, his commitment to addressing HIV
prevention care and treatment is strongly demonstrated.”
Tom Myers, chief of public affairs for
the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, expressed concern over the
president's decision.
“In the 20-odd year history of this
conference, it is virtually obligatory for the head of state of the
host nation to address the conference at its opening,” Myers said
last week.