For Immediate Release: 28 November 2002

Contact: Paul Davis +1 215.833.4102 * pdavis@critpath.org
Asia Russell +1 267 475 2645 * asia@critpath.org

World AIDS Day: Progress Seen on White House AIDS Initiative,
Timed for January Africa Trip; 300 NGOs Demand More for Global AIDS

Washington, November 28: AIDS activists from Health GAP (Global Access Project) have been joined by 300 NGOs from across the United States and from every continent to implore President Bush launch a bold global AIDS initiative. AIDS, religious, health, anti-poverty, and global development organizations have campaigned since August to win a new initiative to be launched in conjunction with the White House trip to Africa scheduled for January 13-17. A growing number of Bush Administration officials have been convened to plan the new AIDS initiative.

At a rally at the White House on 26 November in DC, 1000 activists called on President Bush to lead a global effort to stop AIDS, demonstrating to show public support for a new initiative. They demonstration demanded that President Bush include at least $2.5 billion new dollars for global AIDS in the budget he will submit to Congress in February. After the demonstration, thirty five activists were arrested outside the White House this week to call attention to the Administration's poor record to date.

A number of White House officials have been hard at work on the new initiative, convening several closed door meetings tasked with laying the programmatic framework for a Presidential announcement. Activists from across the globe are pushing for a new plan that is separate and in addition to the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) that has started to circulate publicly.

While the size and scope of the new plan is still tightly under wraps, its seems that the plan will be separate and complementary to the MCA.

"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," said Asia Russell of Health GAP.

"President Bush must not simply repackage existing programs already underfunded," said Paul Davis of Health GAP. "The Global AIDS Fund is bankrupt and Bush must contribute at least $2.5 billion new dollars to stop the loss of three million lives in the coming year. The Administration should do what it takes, committing funds and personnel to implement the World Health Organization's plan to treat three million people with AIDS by 2005."

Hundreds of organizations in the US and abroad have endorsed a bold, new Presidential AIDS Initiative that should include:

• Money: $2.5 billion new spending for global AIDS, and a commitment to provide a fair share of the funding and personnel necessary to implement the WHO initiative to treat three million people with HIV by 2005
• Medicine: Wider access to affordable generic medicines for people living with HIV
• Mother to Child: Comprehensive efforts to curb mother to child transmission and care for HIV + mothers and infants.