The Finance Ministers should commit to 100% debt cancellation, according to Health GAP, a U.S. AIDS activist group, in order to accelerate treatment scale up efforts in poor countries. In addition, the G7 must increase its funding of multilateral AIDS programs and invest heavily in the recruitment and training of health care workers in heavily impacted countries. "The bad news is, we are still far from realizing the goal of free treatment for all who need it," said Asia Russell of Health GAP. "The good news is, the obstacles to treatment scale up are surmountableŅand the Finance Ministers must decide if they want to be part of the problem or part of the solution." 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV. Of those, 6 million are in urgent need of combination antiretroviral treatment.

An estimated 8,200 people living with HIV die every day from of access to affordable AIDS treatment. "Although the U.S. and other donor governments will, this week, be slapping itself on the back at Davos with the world's elite for its collective response to the tsunami that devastated parts of Asia, there is a persistent inertia by the wealthiest governments to free up the money that is now used for debt servicing for AIDS treatment scale-up and commit critically needed funding for treatment scale-up and bolstering health care capacity.

"African countries pay over $10 billion a year to the World Bank, the IMF, and other rich lenders every year. Freeing those countries from their debt payments -- and increasing funding for AIDS -- is an essential action that stops the bleeding of debt servicing so that poor countries can invest in their own health workers, health care capacity, and treatment scale-up," said Health GAP's Brook Baker.

Health GAP calls for an in increase in funding and total replenishment for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, which finances programs in 128 countries. According to UNAIDS, the global community needs to raise $10.5 billion in 2005 for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. Thus far, contributions are $5.5 billion short of that goal. In 2006, the combined figure rises to $18 billion, and in 2007 to $22 billion. "The Bush administration has proposed $3.2 billion for fiscal year 2006 to combat AIDS when it should commit closer to $6.7 billion next year, reflecting its portion of global wealth and one-third of the estimated global need to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, according to Health GAP," continued Baker.

"In order to expand health care capacity, the Group of 7 must also invest in the recruiting and training the additional 1 million health workers needed in Africa and agree to cease poaching workers from affected countries grappling with the AIDS pandemic," said Sharonann Lynch.

-30-

#30#