News from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance
25 September 2007 - for immediate release
The Alliance expressed extreme disappointment today at the announcement by the Brown government that it will not be honouring the commitments made at the G8 in June to treble the size of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 2010 to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Honouring this commitment would have seen UK funding to the Global Fund increase to £700m over the next three years. Instead the government will be increasing funding by just 5% per year over the next three years, to £360m for the period 2008- 2010.
The government's announcement comes the day before the start of the Global Fund's replenishment meeting, taking place from 26-28 September in Berlin, Germany. The meeting is seen as the first real test of the G8 commitments and the first real indication of Gordon Brown's ongoing commitment to tackling the global AIDS epidemic.
Alvaro Bermejo, Alliance Executive Director said:
"It is a real disappointment that the UK government didn't use this opportunity in the run up to the Global Fund replenishment conference this week to make its leadership on AIDS clear. While the Global Fund is not the only way to fund the AIDS response, this was the first test of the Brown government's ongoing commitment to tackle the AIDS epidemic. If the government wants to continue to be seen as a leader in the global AIDS response, it needs to show how it is going to honour its promises to fund universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010 in other ways."
Javier Hourcade Bellocq, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance's regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean and alternate board member for the Communities living with HIV, Tuberculosis and affected by Malaria delegation to the Global Fund Board said:
"1.1 million people living with HIV and 2.8 million people living with tuberculosis are now alive instead of barely surviving or dying, thanks to the contribution of the Global Fund to rapidly scale up access to HIV and TB treatment. But we know how many people urgently need to get on the same treatment. We know the needs, and we know the money is there. The donor community should sustain and increase their commitments. It's about the moral and ethical obligation of those better positioned in the world to provide the means to those most in need."
Marco Gomes, member of the Communities Delegation to the Global Fund board added:
"The Global Fund works but it cannot succeed without donors' assistance. It is up to the donors to get us there. Anything else is an admission of failure on the Millennium Developments Goals."
Ends
Editor's notes
1. In 2005, G8 governments committed to universal access to HIV prevention, care and treatment. This commitment from the world's richest governments was endorsed by all UN Member States at the World Summit at the end of 2005. From that moment, all the world's governments have formally accepted the challenge of: "Developing and implementing a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care with the aim of coming as close as possible to the goal of universal access to treatment by 2010 for all those who need it."
Three months ago at the G8 summit, governments committed to triple the size of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to US$6-8 billion by 2010 to meet the Millennium Development Goals and achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
2. The Stop AIDS Campaign, of which the Alliance is a member, is the campaigning arm of the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development - a coalition of over 80 NGOs and Trade Unions promoting effective responses to the HIV pandemic.
3. Established in 1993, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (the Alliance) is a global partnership of national organisations working to support community action on AIDS in developing countries. These national partners help local community groups and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to take action on AIDS, and are supported by technical expertise, policy work and fundraising carried out at the UK-based international secretariat and across the Alliance.
4. The Alliance has worked with community organisations from over 40 countries, provided financial support to over 3,000 projects (implemented by over 2,000 community and faith-based groups). Expenditure in 2006 alone was over US $58 million (£30 million).
5. More information about the work of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance is available from www.aidsalliance.org. Alternatively, and to arrange interviews, please contact Simon Moore. T: 01273 718744. E: smoore@aidsalliance.org or Rhian Evans. T: 01273 718961. E: revans@aidsalliance.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
