---
type: "LegalText"
title: "19 U.S.C. § 3739"
description: "Sense of the Congress relating to HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 19
title_name: "CUSTOMS DUTIES"
chapter_number: "23"
chapter_name: "EXTENSION OF CERTAIN TRADE BENEFITS TO SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA"
section: "3739"
citation: "19 U.S.C. § 3739"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc19@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t19/s3739"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-19/usc19.xml"
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text_hash: "9b5dcc5c3e5cff7268cd483c53b4c4ac2b6d8eeca084210bd000b8cd1eccf9ab"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 19 U.S.C. § 3739 - Sense of the Congress relating to HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa

## Text

(a) Findings The Congress finds the following:

(1) Sustained economic development in sub-Saharan Africa depends in large measure upon successful trade with and foreign assistance to the countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

(2) The HIV/AIDS crisis has reached epidemic proportions in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 21,000,000 men, women, and children are infected with HIV.

(3) Eighty-three percent of the estimated 11,700,000 deaths from HIV/AIDS worldwide have been in sub-Saharan Africa.

(4) The HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa is weakening the structure of families and societies.

(5) (A) The HIV/AIDS crisis threatens the future of the workforce in sub-Saharan Africa.

(B) Studies show that HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa most severely affects individuals between the ages of 15 and 49—the age group that provides the most support for the economies of sub-Saharan African countries.

(6) Clear evidence demonstrates that HIV/AIDS is destructive to the economies of sub-Saharan African countries.

(7) Sustained economic development is critical to creating the public and private sector resources in sub-Saharan Africa necessary to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

(b) Sense of the Congress It is the sense of the Congress that—

(1) addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa should be a central component of United States foreign policy with respect to sub-Saharan Africa;

(2) significant progress needs to be made in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in order to sustain a mutually beneficial trade relationship between the United States and sub-Saharan African countries; and

(3) the HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa is a global threat that merits further attention through greatly expanded public, private, and joint public-private efforts, and through appropriate United States legislation.

(Pub. L. 106–200, title I, § 129, May 18, 2000, 114 Stat. 273.)