HONORED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME.
MY NAME IS BRIAN GOLDBECK, AND I'M THE ACTING AMBASSADOR AT THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY. AMBASSADOR SLUTZ IS TRAVELING OUTSIDE MONGOLIA AND SHE SENDS HER REGARDS AND CONGRATULATIONS.

WE GATHER HERE TONIGHT TO LAUNCH THE NEW USAID-FUNDED, PACT-PRODUCED TV SERIES CALLED "LIVING UNDER THE SAME SUN."

FORTUNATELY, THE HIV/AIDS SITUATION IN MONGOLIA IS STILL IN THE EARLY PHASE.  UP UNTIL DECEMBER 2004, THERE WERE ONLY FIVE DOCUMENTED CASES OF HIV/AIDS IN MONGOLIA.  HOWEVER, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY 2005, AN ADDITIONAL 14 CASES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND PRESUMABLY THERE ARE MORE CASES YET TO BE IDENTIFIED.

I PUT EMPHASIS ON FORTUNATELY BECAUSE MONGOLIA CAN AND MUST EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE NOW, IN ITS EARLY PHASE.  LET ME ILLUSTRATE WHY.  BEFORE COMING TO MONGOLIA, I WAS ASSIGNED TO ETHIOPIA IN EASTERN AFRICA, A NATION OF 75 MILLION PEOPLE.  IN ETHIOPIA, 4.4% OF THE NATION’S ADULT POPULATION IS HIV/AIDS POSITIVE – ABOUT EQUAL TO MONGOLIA’S TOTAL POPULATION -- AND IN URBAN AREAS THE ESTIMATED RATE STOOD AT 12.6%.  AIDS ACOUNTS FOR ONE-THIRD OF ALL YOUNG ADULT DEATHS IN ETHIOPIA.  THE COST IS IMMENSE:  YOUNG LIVES CUT SHORT, MANY CHILDREN ORPHANED, HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS ARE OVERWHELMED, AND VALUABLE HUMAN RESOURCES AND INVESTMENTS WERE LOST.  IT IS A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY AND ONE MONGOLIA CAN AVOID.

REGARDING MONGOLIA’S CURRENT SITUATION, THERE IS LIMITED FUNDING FOR MONGOLIA TO ADDRESS HIV/AIDS CONCERNS.  HOWEVER, LAST YEAR, THE UNITED STATES, THROUGH USAID, DECIDED TO FUND A SMALL HIV/AIDS PROJECT IN MONGOLIA TO REACH OUT TO AND EDUCATE AFFECTED COMMUNITIES.  THIS USAID PROJECT IS BEING IMPLEMENTED BY PACT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MONGOLIA’S NATIONAL AIDS FOUNDATION
THIS PROJECT AIMS TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT HIV/AIDS AND TO EMPOWER THOSE AT RISK AND THE POPULATION AT LARGE TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS REGARDING THEIR SEXUAL HEALTH.  IT FOCUSES ON REDUCING HIV TRANSMISSION AMONG THE MOST AT-RISK POPULATIONS IN TWO WAYS.  THE FIRST IS THROUGH PEER-TO-PEER EDUCATION.  THE SECOND IS BY INCREASING THE GENERAL PUBLIC'S KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE HIV/AIDS SITUATION IN MONGOLIIA THROUGH THE EXCITING TV SERIES WE ARE LAUNCHING HERE TONIGHT.

"LIVING UNDER THE SAME SUN" IS A 26-PART EDUCATIONAL SOAP OPERA FOCUSING ON HIV/AIDS USING AN APPROACH WHICH HAS BEEN USED SUCCESSFULLY IN MANY OTHER USAID-FUNDED HIV/AIDS PROJECT GLOBALLY.  AFTER MONTHS OF SCRIPTWRITING, PRE-PRODUCTION AND INTENSIVE LOCAL SHOOTING, "LIVING UNDER THE SAME SUN" IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AIRING NATIONALLY ON TV-9 IN MID-MAY.

THIS HIV/AIDS TV SERIES IS A FIRST FOR MONGOLIA, AND WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT IT WILL PROVIDE MUCH-NEEDED KNOWLEDGE TO MONGOLIANS EVERYWHERE.

MANY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EFFORT AND TIME PERMITS NAMING BUT A FEW OF THE INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS SERIES A REALITY.  I ASK THEM TO RISE AS I READ THEIR NAMES AND ASK THE AUDIENCE PLEASE HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE UNTIL I FINISH.

*        Mr. Matthew Friedman - USAID Bangkok RDM/A
*        Mr. Leon Waskin - USAID Mongolia, Executive Producer
*        Mr. Stevan Buxt - Pact Mongolia, Producer
*        Ms Oyunchimeg - Co-producer
*        Ms. Batchimeg - Director
*        The entire cast of the show
*        The staff contributor from Pact’s headquarters, its Greater
          Mekong Region and Mongolia offices
*        The Global Fund
*        And Peace Corps Mongolia staff contributors

NOW PLEASE JOIN ME IN RECOGNIZING THEIR EFFORTS.  THANK YOU AND YOU MAY BE SEATED.

AGAIN, THANKS TO ALL ATTENDEES FOR COMING TONIGHT AND I HOPE WE ALL GAIN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIV/AIDS AS WE WATCH.  PLEASE ENJOY THE SHOW.