Church leaders urge G8 to fully fund AIDS pledges
Dozens of fresh graves crowd the Granville Cemetery in
Harare, Zimbabwe, a grim reminder of the AIDS epidemic that grips the
African continent. United Methodist leaders are commending the G8
leaders' $60 billion pledge to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and
tuberculosis, but they say action must follow promises. A UMNS file
photo by Mike DuBose.
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By United Methodist News Service*
June 21, 2007
The Rev. R. Randy Day
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Pledges by the world’s major economic powers to commit $60 billion to
fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are commendable, but they must
be translated into action, say United Methodist executives.
"The AIDS virus continues to affect millions of people who won't
receive services or preventable education in spite of this funding,"
said Linda Bales, staff executive with the United Methodist Board of
Church and Society.
"The AIDS pandemic grows steadily worse," said the Rev. R. Randy Day,
top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
"Pledges need to be translated into action, promises into funds by the
G8 nations and all other responsible countries and organizations."
Diseases kill 16,000 daily
The $60 billion total will still be only one-third of what the United
Nations says is needed over the next five years to combat HIV/AIDS,
malaria and tuberculosis. Together, the diseases kill about 16,000
people each day.
U.N. estimates show that $192 billion is needed to address AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria from 2008 to 2012, and even more would be
needed to improve health systems, according to a report from the Global
AIDS Alliance. Of this $192 billion, $134 billion is needed for AIDS,
$37 billion to fight TB (including extremely drug-resistant TB), and $21
billion to address malaria, a major killer of children and expectant
mothers.
Representatives of United Methodist agencies attended the G8 summit
June 6-8 in Germany. Members of the summit are Germany, France, the
United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada and Russia.
The $60 billion pledged represents "wonderful promises," Day said.
"However, we cannot help but notice how slowly the eight major economic
powers are moving in honoring their AIDS commitment, repeated over a
number of years."
Day said he was glad the G8 continues to keep the issue of AIDS,
particularly in Africa, before the world community. However, he said the
G8 Summit of 2005 pledged $50 billion, or $12 billion per year, to
combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and nothing near that has
been made available.
The Bush administration has asked for $300 million from Congress for
2008 for the global fund for AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This
amount, along with $850 million approved by a House of Representatives
committee, doesn't come close to the U.S. share based on the 2005
commitment, Day said.
President George W. Bush formally announced he is asking Congress for
a $30 billion, five-year extension of the President's Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief. The request doubles the amount previously pledged and
will be spread over five years to assist impoverished countries, mainly
in Africa, beginning in 2009.
"According to UNAIDS, currently 8,000 people die of the AIDS virus,
while 12,000 acquire the virus every day worldwide," Bales said.
Linda Bales
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The president's plan will provide treatment to only 2.5 million
people, or about 20 percent of the 12 million people expected to need
treatment in 2013, Bales said.
Full amount needed
The Global AIDS Alliance, a partner organization with the church's
social action agency, said the increase proposed by Bush is a
misconception, since current levels of AIDS funding from the United
States have been steadily increasing and would already reach $30
billion.
"A plan to really defeat AIDS, TB and malaria is still missing, yet
that's what we must keep demanding of these leaders," said Dr. Paul
Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. "This is not an
issue of 'more money is always needed when it comes to poverty.' Rather,
the full amount is needed so that we can actually get ahead of these
health crises, which pose a global threat."
For fiscal year 2008, Bush requested $5.4 billion for AIDS, which
Congress seems likely to approve, Bales said. If the next phase of the
U.S. global AIDS response simply held to this 2008 level over a
five-year period, it would cost $27 billion, or nearly what the
president proposed, she said.
"Of course, we welcome the president's support for action to address
HIV/AIDS," Zeitz said June 8. "The U.S. program has done a lot of good,
primarily in care for orphans and AIDS treatment, and today the
president reaffirmed its continuation."
Ministries address AIDS
The United Methodist Church has many programs around the world working with people affected by HIV/AIDS.
The 2004 General Conference established the Global AIDS Fund in an
effort to raise $8 million by 2008 — an amount roughly equivalent to
every U.S. member of the church donating $1. The fund supports
education, prevention, care and treatment programs for people living
with HIV/AIDS.
Worldwide, more than 39 million people are infected with AIDS, and
more than 25 million people have died from it since the disease came to
public attention 25 years ago. The people of Africa have been especially
impacted, with nearly 30 million people infected.
Day said The United Methodist Church has firsthand experience in
dealing with AIDS in Africa and knows how serious the health threat is.
"There is no time to lose."
Contributions to the Global HIV/AIDS Program may be sent through a
local United Methodist church, annual conference or by mailing a check
to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068. Checks
should be made to "Advance GCFA" and designated in the memo for Global
HIV/AIDS Program, Advance #982345. Call (888) 252-6174 to give by credit
card. More details are available at the Advance Web site.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
United Methodist Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Board of Global Ministries
Global AIDS Alliance
Advance Special: Global AIDS Fund
UNAIDS
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