Health GAP Press Statements and Fact Sheets:
1. Health GAP press statement on US Global AIDS Initiaitve signed into law by President Bush;
2. Health GAP press release from 56th World Health Assembly to the G8 Summit;
3. Fact sheet on the new bilateral initiative
www.globaltreatmentaccess.org | www.healthgap.org
From 56th World Health Assembly to the G8 Summit:
Activists applaud new WHO mandate for 3 million on AIDS drugs in developing countries by 2005, condemn G7 for refusing to pay for it; Demand regular payments to broke Global AIDS Fund
(United Nations) Activists responded today to the WHO's passage of directives to incoming Director General JW Lee to achieve scale-up of HIV treatment access to three million people with HIV by 2005, to monitor and analyze the implications of trade agreements on public health, and to assist countries in mitigating the negative impact of those agreements.
"If donors are ready to confront the AIDS crisis with the resources and commitment used in responding to SARS then this target is feasible and credible. The target is fake as long as the G7 donors refuse to mobilize the billions needed, in particular at least $1.4 billion dollars for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria before the end of this year,Ó said Asia Russell of Health GAP. SARS, a serious emerging disease, has killed 400 people since its outbreak about 5 months ago; untreated AIDS, on the other hand, kills 8500 people each day. Activists also urged donors to adopt a system of regular annual payments to the Fund, based on donor wealth.
An amendment to the WHO AIDS resolution, submitted by India, calls on countries to pay more towards global AIDS programs, referencing the agreement made by all UN countries at the 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS to contribute at least $7-$10 billion annually by 2005.
At the request of President Chirac, global AIDS will be on the agenda at Evian; a new U.S. AIDS bill President Bush will sign this week will draw added attention to the issue of global AIDS at the G8 Summit. Activists criticized Bush's bilateral AIDS plan for sideswiping the multilateral Global Fund. "Bush's new go-it-alone AIDS bill cannot succeed without the Global Fund," said Sharonann Lynch of Health GAP. "But Bush and the other G7 Heads of State have committed only crumbs to the Global Fund." The White House announced its intent to contribute only $200 million on the Global Fund in 2004Ñless than the current 2003 sum. Bush also opposed lawmaker's attempts to add amendments that would have increased the funding to the Global Fund.
During the Assembly, the US and EC blocked several pro-public health amendments to a WHO resolution from Brazil and the Africa Group on patent rights and public health. According to activists, this underscores the importance of full funding of multilateral mechanisms like the Global Fund. "The US is unwilling to put the human right to medicines access before the commercial interests of big pharma," said Kris Hermes of Health GAP. "Limited resources means money must be spent wisely, on quality generic medicines, to save more lives."
The G8 launched the Global Fund at the Genoa Summit in 2001. After modest start-up donations, rich countries have given very little. The Global Fund is now virtually out of money and is unable to cover an upcoming round of grants coming in OctoberÑunless major new commitments are made at Evian." G7 leaders have patted themselves on the back for two years for creating this Global Fund,Ó reports Brook Baker of Health GAP. "The bankruptcy of the Global Fund heading into the G8 Summit in Evian reveals the utter betrayal by the G7 of millions of people with AIDS. Only regular payments will optimize the Global Fund's ability to finance the sustained and aggressive interventions necessary to stop the onslaught of the epidemic."
G7 countries in addition to the US have been miserly in their Global Fund pledges and payments. In 2002, Germany has paid as much as Nigerian in absolute dollars to the Global FundÑ10 million. French and US activists are demanding at least $500 million in 2003 from their respective governments to fill the $1.4 billion resource gap currently faced by the Global Fund in 2003 alone. The first two rounds of Global Fund grants are financing ARV treatment for 500,000 people with HIV, treatment for two million people with infectious TB, and treatment for 20 million people with drug-resistant malaria. New grant rounds are expected to continue to become more sophisticated and comprehensiveÑand more expensive.
-press release ends-
"By neglecting the Global Fund in favor of his bilateral initiative, President Bush is sabotaging both. Today is a day when President Bush has made clear that he plans to go-it-alone in the fight against AIDS. We welcome the new bilateral initiative, but implore Congress to at least an additional $1.5 billion for the Global AIDS Fund," stated Paul Davis from Health GAP. "The Global Fund is already operating and is producing impressive results after only two grant rounds, but now faces near total bankruptcy. A new round of applications are due this week, and at least $1.4 billion in new donor contributions is needed by the Fund before the year is out to cover these grants."
Continued Davis: "To succeed, the new US initiative will require the Global Fund to be successfully operating in order to build necessary infrastructure, treatment literacy, and demand for medicine in the 14 countries President Bush has targeted. In addition, the new bilateral plan is expected to utilize many of the same coordinating mechanisms the Global Fund is creating in countries."
The first two rounds of Global Fund grants are financing ARV treatment for 500,000 people with HIV, treatment for two million people with infectious TB, and treatment for 20 million people with drug-resistant malaria. New grant rounds are expected to continue to grow consistently more sophisticated and comprehensive Ð and more expensive.
The U.S. global AIDS bill is not a cheque:
Myths and Facts about the U.S. $15 billion and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria
U.S. President Bush will sign a bill today, on the lead-up to the G8 Summit in Evian, authorizing $15 billion over five years for global AIDS programs. There are misconceptions about how much the U.S. is actually planning to spend fighting AIDS, and where the money is headed. Setting the record straight is particularly important, given the urgent fiscal crisis of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and the fact that the U.S. refuses to contribute its fair share to this new multilateral mechanism.
MYTH : The $15 billion is in the bank, ready to be spent now, fighting AIDS around the world.
FACT : This bill could very easily turn into a cruel joke played on the countries hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, because Congress and the President will not meet the funding levels set out in the legislation. None of the $10 billion authorized over five years actually exists yet, and the U.S. Congress only budgets money from year to yearÑnever on a five-year basis.
FACT : The maximum amount of new money for 2004 in the bill is $3 billionÑbut none of that money actually exists, as it has not been appropriated by the Congress. Budgeting the money will take months, and by then the final amount for 2004 will be much less than the current $3 billion commitment will shrink.
FACT : The bilateral program established with this bill is not operational, unlike the Global Fund which is up and running nowÑthe bilateral program will require the ongoing success of the Global Fund in order to function optimally. Furthermore, the White House intends to "back load" the money years into the future, ratehr than committing money up front to save lives now.
FACT : The White House opposed amendments to this bill that would have saved more lives through increasing the U.S. commitment to fighting AIDS, TB and Malaria through the Global Fund.
FACT : While the bill permits the President to spend "up to $1 billion" in 2004 for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and MalariaÑbut the President currently only plans to spend $200 million on the Global Fund for 2004. This contribution is less than the current aount of $350 million the U.S. pledged to the Global Fund for 2003. Without pressure, the President will not spend more than $200 million in 2004 on the Global FundÑsignificantly less than the U.S. fair share of contributions as determined by overall wealth.
MYTH : U.S. contributions to the Global Fund total 50% of all contributions, or $1.65 billion.
FACT : A more useful figure than the Bush Administration's "prospectively aggregated" contribution to the Global Fund, which includes money already spent and money that has not been budgeted by Congress, is examining the annual commitment of the U.S., relative to the U.S. fair share and the financial needs of the Global Fund. By focusing on accumulated spending, rather than annual contributions, the White House hopes to distract attention from how it has undermined the Global Fund. Moreover, flubbed Global Fund numbers will give political cover for other stingy G7 countries eager for an excuse to underfund the Global Fund.
FACT : While the President has implied that generic HIV medicines could be used as part of his bilateral program, he has not made an explicit commitment. The U.S. drug company lobby has worked hard to pass this new bill, calling into question whether countries will be permittted by the U.S. to spend money procuring lowest cost medicines, including generics. Global Fund money can be used to procure lowest cost medicines.
#30
Back to Top