Health GAP (Global Access Project)
www.healthgap.org
For Immediate Release:
17 May 2005 - World Health Assembly
Contact: Sharonann Lynch, Health GAP, +1 646-645-5225
Health GAP Questions US Government representatives attending the 54th World Health Assembly in Geneva
U.S. flawed policies on global HIV/AIDS threaten multilateral efforts
Background: The majority of sexually active girls aged 15-19 in developing countries are married and sadly, have significantly higher rates of infection than their sexually active married peers. In Kisumu, Kenya, 30% of male partners of married adolescent girls were infected with HIV (UNAIDS). Yet, despite these facts, the US government has promoted an agenda of abstinence only until marriage for youth HIV prevention in developing countries. 33% of the overall global HIV/AIDS prevention budget (which includes prevention efforts such as mother to child transmission prevention and voluntary counseling and testing) has been earmarked for these programs, resulting in 57% of all prevention programs geared towards sexual transmission being abstinence based. To effectively prevent HIV, both married and unmarried girls need access to sexual and reproductive health services.
2. Current U.S. law has required foreign non-governmental organizations receiving direct U.S. global HIV/AIDS and anti-trafficking funds to adopt specific organization-wide positions opposing prostitution. Now based on new CDC guidelines released last week, it seems that you are seeking to expand these restrictions to both U.S. NGOs receiving funding for overseas programs and also, recipients of U.S. funds from entities such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria and the World Health Organization which had been previously exempt. How is forcing the Global Fund to require its own NGO partners to agree with the U.S. policy consistent with the clear intent of Congress that the it be exempt from this requirement-- not partially exempt? Do you have any reason to believe that the Global Fund or any multilateral organization is in a position to accept such a condition on the receipt of US funds?
Background: The new U.S. policy directive, already out of CDC and expected to be officially posted by USAID by the end of this week, states:
1) Any entity that receives, directly or indirectly, U.S. Government funds in connection with this document ("recipient")" cannot use such U.S. Government funds to promote or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution or sex trafficking."
2) "have a policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking."
According to the funding restrictions, Global Fund recipients and others would not be exempt from the restriction:
"In addition, any recipient must have a policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking. The preceding sentence shall not apply to any "exempt organizations" (defined as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the World Health Organization, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative or to any United Nations agency), but does apply to any non-governmental, non-exempt organization entity receiving U.S. government funds from an exempt organization in connection with this document."
3. Do you support the bi-partisan initiative of Senators Durbin and Santorum to increase the President's Budget request for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria to $800 million for fiscal year 2006 which will allow it to renew successful, existing grants?
Background: With grants to 127 countries and 44% of funds targeting tuberculosis and malaria, the Global Fund extends and compliments bi-lateral investment in fighting AIDS including the President's Emergency Plan for Africa's (PEPFAR) special focus on 15 countries. Over the past year, U.S. contributions have enabled Global Fund programs to provide AIDS treatment to 130,000 people, treat nearly 40,000 people for tuberculosis, and distribute more than 1.3 million bed nets to protect families from malaria. Despite the clear progress of the Global Fund, President Bush and the Senate allocated only $300 million in the budget for FY06. Senator Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Santorum (R-PA), in a historic bi-partisan effort, introduced an amendment to increase the US contribution by $500 million, bringing the total contribution to $800 million. A contribution of $800 million allows the Global Fund to renew existing grants that have shown success in combating AIDS, tuberculosis, or malaria. The amendment was an offset in the budget through the 920 account (largely administrative) and passed on March, 17 2005.
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