| The US Global AIDS Plan |
Health GAP is Hiring
Health GAP is growing and changing. We are looking for interns in Providence, Washington, DC and New York City. Health GAP is seeking a Director of U.S. Advocacy. Can you help? Wanna join our team? | more
Health GAP's Annual Global Health Justice Awards
Health GAP is holding our annual Global Health Justice Awards on May 30th. This event not only is the main fundraiser for our small but scrappy organization--it is also a way that we can honor unsung heroes in our community. We know that you love and respect these leaders in global health, and we hope that you can use this event to show them your deep appreciation. Buy Ads in our journal here.
Honorees:
Mark Harrington (Evan Ruderman Award)
National Nurses United (Alan Berkman Award)
Sharonann Lynch & Julie Davids (Health GAP Founders Award)
Mark Milano (Grassroots Activist Award)
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 | 6:30 PM
Matthew Marks Gallery
523 W. 24th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001
Tickets are $100 per person. | more
President Would Cut $1/2 billion from Global AIDS Program
Activists today condemned the half billion-dollar cut to global AIDS programs in President Obama’s budget request—just two months after President promised to help usher in the “beginning of the end of AIDS.” Analysis of the President’s FY2013 budget shows that bilateral HIV programs would be reduced by $546.4 million. While funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria is up by $350 million to keep a commitment made last year... | more
AIDS Activists Facing Unfair Prosecution
Legal experts, medical providers, and AIDS activists will hold a press conference Wednesday on the case of several HIV+ people and activists who were arrested in April outside Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office at a demonstration against Republican cuts to AIDS funding and ban on syringe exchange funding in the District of Columbia. | more | sign the letter to the DA to drop the charges
Labor Unions, AIDS & Health Activists Expose Secret Trans-Pacific Trade Negotiations at Beverley Hills Hotel
In a $500 a night luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, negotiators are meeting in secret this week to negotiate a massive new trade trade pact between the U.S. and Pacific Rim nations. Wednesday trade unionists, public health advocates and others will hold a press event and rally outside calling for greater transparency. | more
How AIDS Activists won the commitment to get 6 million people on treatment by 2013
Winning a commitment from PEPFAR and President Obama to treat 6 million PWAs by 2013 should have been easy – but it wasn't. Even as the President's health advisors promoted an anemic Global Health Initiative and down-played HIV/AIDS in general... | more
World AIDS Day 2011: VICTORY!! AIDS Activists applaud Obama announcement to double global AIDS treatment by 2013
President Barack Obama today announced that the U.S. will get 6 million people access to antiretroviral AIDS treatment through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief--doubling the pace of scale up for the program. Speaking on World AIDS Day along with Presidents Bush and Clinton, President Obama committed the U.S. to using emerging science to begin to end the global AIDS crisis—a concept unimaginable just a few years ago. | more
Global Fund cancels round of funding, risking millions of lives
At the 25th Board Meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Accra, Ghana yesterday donor governments voted to cancel the current funding Round (called “Round 11”). This shortsighted decision—which has not happened before in the Global Fund’s ten year history—comes despite game changing new scientific findings that HIV treatment not only saves lives, it reduces the risk of sexual transmission of HIV transmission by 96%. | more
AIDS Activists Applaud Clinton Speech, Expect Follow Through from Obama & Others
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday announced the US government's intention to implement new science in order to bring about an end the global AIDS crisis. AIDS activists applauded the renewed focus on the disease—which remains the leading cause of death among women around the world. | more
ACTION ALERT:
Landmark Constitutional Court case on maternal death begins in Uganda
Thursday Wednesday July 20
Background: In Uganda, rates of maternal death are scandalously
high--every day at least 16 women die in childbirth. The Government of
Uganda is not ensuring that the health sector provides the lifesaving
essential medicines, trained health workers, family planning
commodities, emergency obstetric services, HIV treatment, malaria
prevention and treatment, and other critical elements of maternal
health care. | more
Gilead’s access moves ‘disappointing’ say activists. Countries left behind by Gilead should break patent monopolies by issuing compulsory licenses without delay
Health GAP applauded progress by the Medicines Patent Pool in securing licenses for key AIDS medicines today, but expressed disappointment with the terms and conditions of the licenses, issued for five Gilead products: tenofovir, emtricitabine, and two medicines still in clinical development: cobicistat and elvitegravir (as well as a pill combining all four medicines). | more
U.S. Breaks UNAIDS Summit Committment on Access to Treatment
The Asia Pacific Network of
Positive People is expressing outrage at ongoing free trade agreement
negotiations by the United States with Vietnam and Malaysia that threaten
access to medicines for HIV, TB, hepatitis-C as well as other diseases in these
countries.
| more
Great photos and news coverage from the June 8th "We Can Ends AIDS" march/rally
Hundreds of People Living with HIV/AID, activists, allies and supporters were on the street in New York City protesting during the UN High Level Meeting on AIDS. | more
World Makes Bold New 15 Million People AIDS Treatment Commitment in
Bid to Halt AIDS
Governments around the world, including the United States, are expected to endorse a bold new AIDS treatment goal on Friday to reach 15 million people with anti-retroviral drugs by 2015. This comes on the heels of exciting new science that shows that when people living with HIV are on treatment they are 96% less likely to transmit HIV to their partners. | more
June 8th, AIDS activists will march to demand that world leaders renew their commitments to AIDS treatment and prevention
In 2005 world leaders promised to support and fund universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010. This promise would have resulted in a dramatic reduction in AIDS related death rate and HIV transmission. However, many leaders have sinc eretreated from their commitment to fighting globaI AIDS treatment and prevention and have been slashing funding to the Global Fund, and their bilateral programs. The result is that millions of people will die from AIDS while millions more will become infected. | more
New Breakthrough Data Shows World Can End the AIDS Crisis as US, EU
Leaders Parse Words
On the eve of the UN “High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS,” The Lancet today published breakthrough modeling developed by UNAIDS that show how, with a relatively moderate increase in investment, it is actually possible to break the arc of the AIDS epidemic. Increasing the funding available globally by $5 billion per year by 2015 would prevent over 12 million new infections and save over 7 million lives. In turn, this modest increase would also reduce the cost of the AIDS response in the long term. | more
Tell Secretary Clinton we can end AIDS Now!

This month scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health showed that antiretroviral therapy can not only prolong the lives of people with HIV/AIDS, it could decrease transmission of the virus by 96% between sexual partners! This U.S. funded study proves that treatment is prevention and helps show we can end AIDS. The U.S. government is ignoring the reports and has a weak position on global AIDS that is being negotiated right now for release at the High Level
Meeting on AIDS beginning on June 8th. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton is likely going and should be leading the charge. CALL Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s office now. | more
Hundreds to march to Kenya National AIDS Conference
Civil society groups will march with banners and placards Wednesday to the first biennial Kenya HIV Conference. They will demand that Kenya’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Uhuru Kenyatta and President Barack Obama keep their promises to fund the fight against HIV. Protesters will report on key commitments that are not being kept, including Uhuru’s pledge for a 10% annual increase in Kenya’s health and HIV budgets, and a pledge by US President Barack Obama to provide US$50 billion to global HIV by 2013. | more
AIDS Activists arrested at Eric Cantor's office, demanding more global AIDS funding
People living with HIV, students, and local DC activists took over the office of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor today as Congress prepared to enact draconian budget cuts to international development programs and negated over whether to deny Washington, DC the right to fund effective syringe exchange programs. | more
Health GAP @ the UN High Level Meeting on AIDS 2011
World leaders are using the financial crisis to retreat from
their commitments to fight AIDS at home and abroad. The result? Millions of people with AIDS are being denied medication! Take a stand to ensure everyone worldwide has access to life-saving medication. Join Health GAP and VOCAL-NY in a demonstration.April 7th, 2011 @ noon in NYC | more
Students Protest Rep Cantor at Harvard over AIDS funding cuts
Students from the Student Global AIDS Campaign, along with people living with AIDS and representatives from community groups, will stage a demonstration at Harvard to to protest the US House of Representatives’ slashing of the budget for global health for the current fiscal year. The demonstration coincides with a visit to Harvard by Republican House Majority Leader Representative Eric Cantor, who has been an outspoken proponent of radical cuts in all domestic discretionary funding since the Republicans took over the House in January. | more
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Next Magazine: Finding The Fight: After 25 years of ACT UP, why aren’t gays angry about the HIV/AIDS epidemic anymore?
DCist: AIDS Activist Faces Trial After Use of Medical Marijuana Sinks Hopes for Dismissal of Charges
Reality Check: The 96 Percent Campaign: How Obama Can Help End the AIDS Crisis
The Globe and Mail: UN member states agree on ‘universal access’ to AIDS treatment
New York Times: Stepping Up the Fight Against AIDS
Democracy Now: AIDS Activists Rally at U.N.: "We Are Asking World Leaders to Live Up to Their Promise"
NPR: The Root: HIV In Desperate Need Of Funding
Press Release: World Makes Bold New 15 Million People AIDS Treatment Commitment in Bid to Halt AIDS
Alicia Keys at the UN: “Treatment Can Stop HIV/AIDS In Its Tracks”
The Economic Times: AIDS groups criticise US/EU/Japan for putting profits of MNC drug makers before patients
BBC News: UN urges more funds for early HIV treatment
Phnom Penh Post:
UN to Meet on HIV Drugs
Business Standard: India to be firm on IPR at AIDS meet
New York Times: No Time to Let Up on the Fight
IPS News: HIV Infections Down, but Treatment Access Still Uneven
African Science News Service: New Data Shows World Can End the AIDS
The Lancet: Towards an improved investment approach for an effective response to HIV/AIDS
Inside U.S. Trade: USTR Signals Support For Longer Data Protection For Biologics In TPP
Pharmacy Today: The New Zealand Government shouldn’t make changes to its drug-buying regime the US Government isn’t willing
Plus News: KENYA: Protest as government grapples with HIV funding shortages
Science: HIV Treatment Dramatically Prevents Transmission
Politico: A dozen protestors arrested outside Cantor's office
Roll Call: HIV/AIDS protestors target Cantor's Cannon office
Washington Post: 12 AIDS activists arrested inside Cantor's Capitol office
Kaiser's Daily Global Health Policy Report: Advocates Continue Hunger Strike, Protest HIV/AIDS Cuts
Harvard Crimson Op-Ed: Mr. Cantor: Restore funding for global health – lives hang in the balance
Huffington Post: Proposed Spending Cuts Will Sacrifice Lives in Africa
Science Magazine: White House Proposes Modest Funding Increase for Global Health Programs
IRIN/Plus News: UGANDA: Pushing HIV on to presidential candidates' agenda
Colorlines: Global AIDS Watchdogs worry US neglecting its leadership role | more
Poz: Savy Survivor - about Health GAP founder Eric Sawyer | more
IP Watch: Patent on AIDS medicine denied in India | more
Seeking Alpha: India rejects Abbott Labs patent for HIV med Kaletra | more
Washington Post Express: Photo - World AIDS Day Activists shout slogans
Voice of America: AIDS Activists say President Obama is not doing enough
George Washington University Hatchet: Student Rally on World AIDS Day
Boston Globe: Student Group to rally on Common for increased AIDS funding
New York Times: College Campuses are producing a new style of AIDS activist
| more
The Asian Age: Obama and "P" Word (including mention of Health GAP statement on access to generic medicine) | more
Hindu Business Line: All Eyes on Obama's Healthcare Resolve | more
Compilation of press coverage from Global Fund Replenishment Meeting | more
IRIN: HIV/AIDS: Patent pool gets first license but drug companies still not on board | more
Dallas Morning News: Congress Must Override Obama on Global AIDS Fight (Editorial) | more
BBC: Obama criticized in the fight against AIDS | more
The Lancet: Effect of development assistance on domestic health expenditures | more
Press Round-up from AIDS2010 | more
Democracy Now!: 8 Arrested in NYC Protesting Obama's AIDS Policies | more |