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Press Release: Broken AIDS Promises Travel with Obama to Africa

The US Global AIDS Plan

July 10, 2009

PRESS RELEASE

Broken AIDS Promises & Questions of “Accountability” Travel with Obama to Africa

President Must Stand Behind Campaign Promises to Fully Fund Global AIDS Programs, Lift Federal Funding Ban on Syringe Access

Contact: Nairobi, Kenya: Paul Davis, + 254 715 819 742 pdavis@healthgap.org

Washington, DC: Matthew Kavanagh, + 1 202 486 2488 matthew@healthgap.org

Nairobi, Kenya & Washington, DC—As Congress is finalizing the first budget of the new Administration, President Obama is embarking on a historic trip to Ghana, his first trip to Africa as President. On the eve of his travels, President Obama stated that “African leadership [should] take responsibility and be held accountable" for the performance of their governments. Activists suggested the President must also live up to this standard, given the White House’s failure to act on multiple promises to fight AIDS in Africa.

“President Obama’s own accountability is suffering when it comes to global AIDS,” said Asia Russell of Health GAP. “Lack of access to AIDS treatment and effective HIV prevention is one of the most pressing crisis facing sub Saharan Africa. Obama came to office with a promise to increase AIDS funding and accelerate access to effective prevention tools. He has not kept those promises.”

On Thursday June 9, 26 AIDS activists from across the Northeast U.S. were arrested during a powerful protest, where they occupied the Capitol rotunda. They were protesting the President’s failure to act on his campaign promises to lift the federal ban on funding syringe exchange, and to fully fund lifesaving AIDS programs.

Activists noted that despite campaign pledges to increase bilateral global AIDS (PEPFAR) funding by $1 billion a year and fully fund the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Administration’s budget proposal essentially flat-lines global AIDS funding.

“As much as we feel the pinch of the economic recession in the US, in Ghana and throughout sub Saharan Africa, the economic crisis is a catastrophe—with millions people at risk of poverty and sickness,” said Asia Russell, Health GAP’s Director of International Policy and former board member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “AIDS is not in recession: millions of lives are at stake—now is the time for President Obama to keep his promises.”

AIDS activists are calling on Obama to pledge an $2.7 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to help alleviate the $5 billion shortfall that the program is currently facing, an additional $1 billion for bilateral global AIDS funding (PEPFAR) to bring it back up to the levels in the bill President Obama co-sponsored last year, and an end to the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange. Activists have noted that banks have received increased support totaling $9 trillion as part of myriad bail out packages.

“The way to support development and growth in Africa, to help leaders fulfill their responsibilities and commitments is to support this lifesaving programs such as PEPFAR, the Global Fund and syringe exchange,” said Jose DeMarco, Health GAP board member. “If the US does not pay their fair share of PEPFAR funding, some countries in Africa will not be able to continue providing AIDS medications without treatment interruptions which could be deadly.”

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