Third World health: Video -- Universal access by 20-when? Global leaders renege on promised aid

By the Treatment Action Campaign (South Africa)

September 28, 2010 -- The communities delegation on the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV (APN+) released a video (watch above) on September 28, 2010, as part of the global day of action activities, highlighting the potential effectiveness and achievements of the Global Fund, and pointing out how miniscule the needed US$20 billion dollars is when compared to the amounts of money that has been spent on war and Wall Street banking bail outs.

The Millennium Development Goals Summit concluded on September 22, 2010, with world leaders reaffirming their commitment to achieving the eight anti-poverty goals by the 2015 deadline. Although commending commitments made at the summit to significantly increase investment in maternal and child health, health and HIV/AIDS advocates around the world are asking “Will this be another example of all words, little action?”

Recent history shows these concerns are well founded. The same rich-country governments promised that by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS would be available for all those who need it. Three months before the end of 2010, achieving this goal remains far off, a detail that seems to have been forgotten by many leaders as they offer up more promises.

World leaders will very soon have the opportunity to again put words into action. They will gather in New York on October 4-5, 2010, to announce their funding commitments for the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for 2011–2013. The Global Fund needs $20 billion if real progress is to be made.

“Global leaders need to step up to the plate and demonstrate leadership and accountability in ensuring HIV, tuberculosis and malaria are addressed through the most innovative financing mechanism that has produced country-led responses and with standards of partnership with civil society and affected populations”, Shiba Phurailatpam, APN+ regional coordinator says. “We have produced this video to raise awareness about the urgent need for these leaders to keep their promises and to stop using the global financial crisis as an excuse to retreat from funding commitments.”

The video is also available at http://www.globalfundreplenishment.org and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw3zy3WDyp0 and has been released to coincide with public demonstrations, press conferences and other actions held across the African continent as well as the US, Canada, Italy, Russia and other countries.

Further Information:

Shiba Phurailatpam, regional coordinator, Asia Pacific Network of PLHIV

+ 66.86600.0738, shiba@apnplus.org

David Traynor, international programs, Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations

+61.2.8568.1112, +61.432.841.383, dtraynor@afao.org.au

Rachel Ong, Communications Focal Point, communities delegation on the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

+65.9067.3183, rachel.ong.gfatm@gmail.com

More information on the Global Week of Action can be found at http://www.globalfundreplenishment.org/global-week-of-action.

Visit the Treatment Action Campaign website at http://www.tac.org.za/community/.