January 25 2002

Global Fund against AIDS:
The WHO must take a stand about funding for HIV treatment

The G8 countries have launched the Global Fund in order to respond to the global threat which the aids epidemic represents. Yet, it is becoming increasingly obvious that this Fund is a masquerade. Contributions from the wealthy nations are outrageously low (less than 1 billion euros for 2002, when the official minimum target is 12 billion euros per year).

Today, the primary reason why 10,000 people die of aids each and every day is that wealthy nations refuse to finance HIV treatment, and the global institutions, first among which WHO, support this policy.

That is why 15 Act Up-Paris activists have called out to Mr Nabarro, #2 of WHO, at a conference by the Norwegian Emabassy titled "AIDS : a global security issue", which held in Paris, Friday January 25.

The WHO must show clear commitment on the role of the Global Fund and advocate that a minimum of 30% of Global Fund financing be devoted to purchase of HIV medications, in support of the Ouagadougou Call which was issued at last month's International Conference on Aids and STDs in Africa by several hundred NGOs and thousands of people with aids.

Next week as the Board of the Global Fund meets in Geneva, the WHO will have to choose a side.

Global Fund against aids : The North must finance HIV treatment for people with aids in the South

Today, the primary reason why the aids epidemic continues to kill millions of people every year, why 10,000 people die every day, is that international donors refuse to commit the resources required to stop the hecatomb and that global insitutions, first among which the WHO, support this policy.

At the International Conference on Aids and STDs in Africa, last December in Burkina Faso, hundreds of NGOs and thousands of individuals have joined the Ouagadougou Call on the Global Fund to priorize HIV treatment access by devoting 30% of its resources to it.

Yet, this Global Fund launched in April 2001 by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan remains a masquerade. And the majority of donor countries refuse to significantly finance the purchase of medicines, thus blocking care for millions of people with aids.

At present, out of the 36 million people infected with HIV living in impoverished countries, experts estimate that as many as 10 million require immediate antiretroviral treatment. Yet only 200,000 out of those 10 million are receiving HIV care, and the initiatives started in the poorest countries over the past few years concern extremely few people (from a hundred to a few thousands), for lack of resources. However, from these centers of excellence and with a strong involvement of communities, it has now been demonstrated that a huge scaling-up of numbers receiving life-prolonging HIV care is possible, if only financial resources were mobilised.

Physicians and researchers have proven the feasability of HIV care in impoverished nations. No scientific argument can any longer be opposed to treating the sick.

Financial needs are estimated at 12 billion euros annually for drug purchase (drug prices have plummeted since then with the onset of generic competition), healthcare infrastucture stengthening, and scaling-up of existing comprehensive care operations.

Considering the extent of resources at their disposal, North countries will get away with the paltry contributions they have announced so far, for that would overtly expose the hypocrisy of their supposedly humanitarian positions and reveal the fact that they are continuing to pursue racist and murderous policies vis-a-vis the impoverished regions of the world.

The recent overnight mobilisation of 50 billion euros in the "war against terror" brings yet another proof that resource mobilisation is purely a matter of political will and leadership.

North countries and global institutions must make a choice : either sentence millions to death and then take responsibility for a global health disaster of unprecedented proportions, or intervene now to provide treatment access as fast as possible.

Media contact : GaÎlle Krikorian +33 6 0371 7055 - Khalil Elouardighi +33 6 1252 8797.

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