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Immediate Release: November 26, 2002
Washington, D.C. November 26, 2002: Hundreds marched on the White House today demanding Presidential action to stop the spread of AIDS worldwide. The demonstrators - activists, AIDS organization directors, people living with HIV, public health experts and religious leaders - called for a bold, new Presidential AIDS Initiative before the President travels to Africa in January. Thirty-one protesters were arrested. With over 100 million infections projected by the CIA by 2010, the activists declared that the AIDS crisis is a "Code Red Emergency."
"Africa is dying and Asia is next, and here in the U.S. there are more people with AIDS than ever. President Bush is failing to fund his meager promises fight global AIDS. In the developing world, his policies ensure virtually no one with AIDS can have access to the medicines they need. In the U.S., people with AIDS must spend all their money before qualifying for help with treatment and medicine," said Asia Russell of ACT UP/Philadelphia and Health GAP (Global Access Project).
President Bush has agreed to announce a new AIDS initiative in conjunction with the White House trip, scheduled for January, and senior Administration officials are meeting this week to plan it. "We fear the Administration will simply repackage modest existing programs already underfunded," said Paul Davis of Health Gap.
Hundreds of organizations in the US and abroad have endorsed a bold, new Presidential AIDS Initiative that should include:
Ninety-six percent (96%) of the 40 million living with HIV currently have no access to the medicines that have transformed AIDS in wealthy countries into something approaching a chronic manageable illness, and the epidemic is expected by the National Intelligence Council to balloon to 100 million infections by the end of the decade. At the same time, the AIDS crisis continues to worsen in the United States as well, with one million people living with HIV. In many states, including Texas, stingy federal budgets are resulting in a denial of medications to tens of thousands of people with AIDS nationwide. The groups implored President Bush to support needed increases in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program and an end to the harassing audits initiated by extremist social conservatives that have singled out AIDS groups doing prevention work targeting youth, gay men, and communities of color.
ACT UP, Housing Works, African Services Committee, New York City AIDS Housing Network, Student Global AIDS Campaign, Project Inform, and Africa Action co-sponsored the demonstration. Speakers included Salih Booker, Executive Director, Africa Action, Shelia Kibuka, a woman from Kenya representing HOPE Africa International, Keith Cylar, Executive Director of Housing Works, NYC, and Asia Russell, ACT UP Philadelphia/ Health GAP.
More information on the Presidential AIDS Initiative: http://www.healthgap.org/wad.html
President Bush has requested only $200 million for the GFATM in 2003-less than the U.S. contribution for 2002, and less than the cost of making the movie Titanic. "For two decades, U.S. policy on global AIDS has been primarily one of neglect. Our inaction has lethal consequences," said Professor Trish Siplon of Health GAP. "We're the richest country in the world. Thus far, successive Presidents have been unwilling to spend the money needed to turn this crisis around and make treatment available to our fellow human beings in poor countries. The AIDS pandemic is destabilizing the economies and societies of sub-Saharan Africa and soon in other regions. I was arrested today to implore President Bush to immediately give our fair share to control global AIDS - $2.5 billion."
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