WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and 33 organizations from 13 countries on five continents are pleased to announce their collaboration on the ‘Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS’ March set to take place in Washington, DC, Sunday, July 22, 2012 immediately before the opening ceremonies of the XIX International AIDS Conference, which is being held in the United States for the first time in more than 20 years. The ‘Keep the Promise’ rally and march—which organizers anticipate will draw thousands of participants—will serve as a clarion call for universal access to AIDS care and treatment; for more efficient use of the limited funding from sources including the Global Fund and PEPFAR; for big world economies, including China and the G20 members, to fully fund the Global Fund as well as for the lowering of AIDS drug prices by pharmaceutical companies to allow for the treatment of more patients with the same amount of money.
“We warmly welcome additional global partners, non-governmental organizations, ministries of health and other government bodies and agencies to join with us in building this growing coalition to ‘Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS’ by uniting together in this March in Washington in 2012,” said Terri Ford, Senior Director of Global Advocacy and Policy for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and who has spearheaded similar AIDS treatment advocacy marches in conjunction with the opening of three previous International AIDS Conferences (Barcelona, 2002; Toronto, 2006; and Mexico City, 2008). “The ‘AIDS 2012 Declaration,’ which is a key component of this advocacy effort, outlines domestic and global concerns of many AIDS advocates as well as offering a collective commitment to specific actions and solutions to help address these concerns so that we may all truly ‘keep the promise on HIV/AIDS.’”
“For the first time in over twenty years, the International AIDS Conference takes place in the United States—in Washington—and just a few months before the 2012 presidential election,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “This ‘Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS’ March presents an ideal opportunity for AIDS advocates and organizations the world over to have our voices heard and press US and world leaders to do the right thing on AIDS funding, care and treatment.”
The 2012 ‘Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS’ March includes a global coalition of founding supporters including:
Eastern Europe & Central Asia:
AIDS
InfoShare – Russia
Project Dance4Life – Russia
St.
Petersburg City AIDS Center - Russia
Estonia Network of PLWH -
Estonia
McDonald’s, Vilnius – Lithuania
NGO Demetra – Lithuania
Asia Pacific:
Youth Vision –
Nepal
SPARSHA - Nepal
HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee (HACC) –
Cambodia
Cambodian People Living With HIV/AIDS Network (CPN+) –
Cambodia
Apollo Tyres – India
Lott Carey – India
Society
For Participatory Integrated Development - India
Africa:
National AIDS Control
Council - Kenya
Mombasa Municipal Council - Kenya
RNGOs Forum
- Rwanda
National AIDS Secretariat - Sierra Leone
SANTA -
South Africa
Humana People to People - South Africa
CHAMPS -
Zambia
Chainama College of Health Sciences - Zambia
ZamAction
- Zambia
Tiny Tim and Friends Foundation - Zambia
Madaliso
Home Based Care - Zambia
Latin America:
Movimiento
Mexicano de Ciudadanía Positiva - Mexico
Coalición de Activistas
por el Acceso Universal en VIH/Sida de México - Mexico
USA:
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
AIDS
Awareness LLC – Columbus, Ohio
Allies Linked for the Prevention of
HIV/AIDS – Boise, Idaho
Bienestar – Los Angeles, California
Lorraine
County Task Force of Ohio
PITCH – Positive Iowans Taking Charge –
Iowa
San Antonio AIDS Foundation – Texas
Worldwide Orphans
Foundation – New York
The organizers of ‘Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS’ have also drafted, ‘AIDS 2012 Declaration: Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS.’ The declaration outlines domestic and global concerns in the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as proposed commitments to improve and address these concerns. Here is the full text of the manifesto:
AIDS 2012 Declaration: ‘Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS’
WHEREAS Globally:
- Every day AIDS claims 4,900 lives.
- Over 9 million people with AIDS in need of treatment aren’t receiving it.
- Millions of people affected by HIV/AIDS do not have adequate access to housing, healthcare and human service.
- Annually almost 2 million deaths could be prevented if the cost-effectiveness of treatment is improved to $300 per person per year.
- 16 million children have been orphaned by AIDS and each year over 400,000 are still born HIV-positive.
- Funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has fallen billions short of what has been promised.
- Less than 24% of the PEPFAR budget is spent on antiretroviral treatment.
- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria is facing a multi-billion dollar shortfall.
- Big world economies, including China and the G20 members are not paying their fair share to the Global Fund
WHEREAS in the United States:
- The CDC spends less than 30% of its HIV prevention budget on HIV testing. =Over 6,000 low-income people have been placed on waiting lists or disenrolled from AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP).
- The average cost of AIDS medications in the U.S. has increased by 163% over the past 15 years, putting an increased financial burden on ADAP and other programs.
- The means to reverse the epidemic are available now—both testing and treatment and consistent condom use have been shown to reduce the transmission of HIV by over 90%.
THEREFORE:
As advocates we declare on behalf of all persons affected by HIV/AIDS that we are committed to the following goals:
1. Fulfill America’s commitment to PEPFAR by increasing funding to $10 billion per year and increase the percentage of funding spent on ARV treatment to 33%.
2. Treat more people with available resources by minimizing administrative waste and reducing the cost of AIDS medical care to less than $300 per patient per year in PEPFAR, the Global Fund and other global programs.
3. Advocate for the provision of lifesaving services and the end of homelessness for all people affected by AIDS.
4. Prioritize testing, treatment and care for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
5. Protect the U.S. ADAP program by securing additional funding.
6. Lower AIDS drug prices to treat more patients with the same amount of money.
7. Demand that big world economies, including China and the G20 members help fully fund the Global Fund.
8. Achieve Universal Access to care and treatment through cost-effective measures and fair-share contributions to the Global Fund.
In advance of the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C., we call on all AIDS advocates and leaders to pledge themselves to these goals.
Background on the 2012 XIX International AIDS Conference
According to the website of the International AIDS Society, “The return of the International AIDS Conference to the United States in July 2012 represents a significant victory for public health and human rights. The selection of Washington, DC as the site for the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) is the result of years of dedicated advocacy to end the nation’s misguided entry restrictions on people living with HIV – restrictions that were based on fear, rather than science.
The biennial International AIDS Conference is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policymakers, people living with HIV and others committed to ending the epidemic. It will be a tremendous opportunity for researchers from around the world to share the latest scientific advances in the field, learn from one another’s expertise, and develop strategies for advancing all facets of our collective efforts to treat and prevent HIV.
AIDS 2012 is expected to convene more than 25,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries, including more than 2,500 journalists. The conference will be held from 22 to 27 July 2012 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The International AIDS Society, the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals, with 14,000 members in 190 countries, will organize AIDS 2012 in collaboration with our international and local partners.”
For more information on the 2012 ‘Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS’ March in Washington or to sign up and join as an endorsing and supporting organization, please visit www.aidshealth.org or Join the March!
About AIDS Healthcare Foundation
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 150,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. www.aidshealth.org