PRESS RELEASE
July 21, 2009
Advocates for Health Millennium Development Goals Unite to Demand
World Leaders Honor Funding Commitments
Found: Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to Save the Wealthiest Corporations
Lost: Billions of Dollars of G8 Commitments to Save Millions of Human Lives
Cape Town -- In an unprecedented and historic show of unity, advocates
for all the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have charged
the leaders of G-8 countries of reneging on their commitments to
health by chronically underfunding programs for AIDS, TB, maternal and
child health, sexual and reproductive health, and health systems
strengthening across the globe.
The coalition of advocates demands that world leaders make the health
of men, women, and children around the world as important a priority
as the health of banks, Wall Street investment firms, and auto
companies and calls on donor governments to partner with civil society
to strengthen accountability from recipient countries.
“We are already seeing people die and families forced further into
poverty by healthcare costs as a direct result of this global economic
crisis,” said Dr. Lola Dare, Executive Secretary of the African
Council for Sustainable Health Development (ACOSHED). “The global
health community is speaking with one voice on this urgent need. We
can no longer permit the world to be distracted by false choices —
between one disease and another, between a mother’s life and that of
her children, between treating sick people now, in their home
communities, and building sustainable health systems for the future to
deliver basic health care that can save lives.”
"Investments now in HIV and health broadly are fundamental
prerequisites for global development,” said Julio Montaner, President
of the International AIDS Society.
The global economic downturn is leading to significant backsliding in
governments’ commitments to funding for health programs in developing
countries. “The rhetoric by heads of state at this year’s G-8 summit
was, as usual, noble and righteous. They produced statements about
their support for health systems strengthening, maternal and child
health, and integrated health service delivery,” said Gregg Gonsalves,
a co-founder of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition.
“But, as has come to be the unfortunate pattern, the financial
commitments made by the most powerful of the world were unacceptably
low or worse, not made at all.”
“At least a million additional lives are in jeopardy because of this
economic crisis. We are calling for the world’s richest countries to
support their words with concrete action and back up their promises
with the money necessary to fulfill them,” said Ann Starrs, President
of Family Care International.
“We estimate that to meet the promised health needs of less developed
countries would take an increased investment by first world countries
and developing country governments of around $150 billion a year . The
AIG bailout alone was $170 billion,” said Brook Baker, Professor of
Law at Northeastern University and Policy Analyst for the US-based
Health GAP. “Or to look at it another way, for 36% of what countries
have spent in one year on direct bailouts of corporate and financial
interests, rich countries alone could fully fund the additional $944
billion that we estimate is needed from now through 2015 to meet all
MDG and health systems strengthening needs in less developed
countries.” Developed countries have so far contributed over $2.5
trillion in direct bailouts and over $6 trillion in ‘guarantees.’
“All we seem to be getting from the bailouts so far is record level
projected bonus payouts for Wall Street,” added Gonsalves. “But we
know with one hundred percent certainty that many more people will die
in 2010 because of this bailout, probably 100 times as many as the
13,000 Goldman Sachs employees who are projected to get compensation
of over $500,000 each.”
The coalition of global health advocates demands that each G-8 country
pays 100% of the commitments they have made for 2010 including: for
Universal Access to AIDS treatment, prevention, and care; full funding
for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; as well
as additional commitments made for maternal child health and health
systems strengthening.
“The fact that governments have quickly passed legislation to bailout
the banks and companies that created this global financial crisis
proves that there is sufficient capital to support those whose lives
have been most affected by the crisis. What is needed is sufficient
will,” said Donna Barry of Partners In Health in the USA.
The U.S. President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been
flat funded for three years; the G-8 countries have underfunded the
Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by $4 to 9 billion;
donor country promises to fund maternal and child health and sexual
and reproductive health programs are wholly insufficient to the task;
and no G-8 country has made sufficient commitments to contribute
significantly to expanding and strengthening the health workforce, to
supporting community-based prevention and care, or to strengthening
health systems and health infrastructure.
“The global economic situation cannot be used as an excuse to renege
on financial commitments,” said Kieran Daly, Executive Director of the
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO). “Hundreds
of billions of dollars, pounds, and euros magically appeared to bail
out global financial markets and corporations. We do not want to
believe that this bailout came at the cost of millions of human
lives.”
“The only way we will make real progress on meeting the MDGs is for
donor countries to engage with developing country governments, and for
developing country governments to commit financially and politically
to revitalizing their national health systems to meet the challenges
of HIV, sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, child
survival and other health problems. Governments also can not forget
that before 2015, they have other goals to meet, including UNGASS-AIDS
2010 and the Cairo Plan of Action,” said Alessandra Nilo of GESTOS in
Brazil.
Leaders representing advocates for more than 25 organizations focused
on AIDS, TB, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health
and primary health care came together in Stony Point, New York in May
2009 to initiate this historic partnership devoted to advocating for
the universal right to health. A Declaration of Solidarity for a
Unified Movement for the Right to Health was drafted at that meeting,
and is being endorsed by health and human rights organizations around
the world . This growing union of advocates is now working in
solidarity to hold the powers of the world accountable.
“We are all health and human rights advocates and we refuse to be
pitted against each other,” said Paula Akugizibwe of the AIDS and
Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, “MDGs are simply categories of
different needs that exist within the same human being. The same
mother who needs ART to prevent the transmission of HIV to her infant
also needs adequate nutrition and her children need clean water and
immunizations. The same community that needs infection control for TB
also needs it for influenza; and insufficient financial and human
resources for health may prevent them from having any of these rights
fulfilled.”
# # #
Following, is the initial group of health organizations supporting this
statement:
A la Alianza Nacional "Campaña por una Convención Interamericana de
los Derechos Sexuales y Derechos Reproducitvos" – Bolivia
ABIA – Brazil
ACCSI – Acción Ciudadana Contra el SIDA, Venezuela,
African Council for Sustainable Health Development (ACOSHED)
African Council of AIDS Service Organizations (AfriCASO)
African CS Partnership for Health Systems Strengthening
AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa
AIDS and Society Research Unit, University of Cape Town
Aids Fonds
AIDS-Free World
Alianza Nacional de Grupos de Personas que viven con VIH o sida de Guatemala
Alianza Nacional de Hombres Gay, Trans y Hombres que Tienen Sexo Con
Hombres (A-GTH) – Dominican Republic
Amigos Siempre Amigos (ASA) – Dominican Republic
Asian Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS
Asociacion Nacional de Personas Positivas Vida Nueva – El Salvador
Asociación Vida – Guatemala
Balance Promoción para el Desarrollo y Juventud – México
BRAC
Caribbean Treatment Access Group
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – México
Center for Health and Gender Equity
Central African Treatment Access Group
Centre for Health Sciences Training, Research and Development (CHESTRAD)
Centro de Información y Desarrollo de la Mujer - CIDEM.– Bolivia
Centro de Promoción y Defensa por los Derechos Sexuales y
Reproductivos (PROMSEX) –Perú
CNS Mujeres – Uruguay
Colectiva Mujer y Salud – Dominican Republic
Colectiva por el Derecho a Decidir – Costa Rica
Colectivo Feminista Mujeres Universitarias.– Honduras
Colectivo TLGB de Bolivia
Comunicación, Intercambio y Desarrollo Humano en América Latina A. C.
–CIDHAL A.C.
Convergencia de Mujeres – Honduras
Cordaid
Corporación Chilena de Prevención del SIDA (ACCIONGAY) – Chile
East African Treatment Access Movement (EATAM)
El Closet de Sor Juana, Mexico
Equidad de Género: Ciudadanía, Trabajo y Familia A.C – Mexico
Family Care International
FEIM – Argentina
Foro de Mujeres y Políticas de Población – Mexico
Fórum de Ong Aids do Estado de São Paulo – Brazil
Fundacion Arcoiris pro el Respeto a la Diversidad Sexual – Mexico
Fundación Buenos Aires SIDA – Argentina
Fundación Igualdad LGBT – Bolívia
Fundación REDVIHDA – Bolívia
GAPA-SP
GAPA/RS – Brazil
GAPA/SP – Brazil
GESTOS – Soropositivity, Communication and Gender Issues – Brazil
GRUPAJUS – Brazil
Grupo De Antropologia Medica Critica Universidad Nacional De Colombia
Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida (GIRE) – México
Guyana Human Rights Association. – Guyana
Health & Development Networks (HDN)
Health care is not for Commerce – LAC
Health GAP
Instituto para el Desarrollo Humano – Bolivia
International AIDS Society
International Civil Society Support
International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS – UK
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)
INTILLA Asociacion Civil – Argentina
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC)
ITPC India
ITPC Nepal
ITPC RU – Eastern Europe/Central Asia
Jovenes Feministas Universitarias – Honduras
La Coalicion Internacional de Activistas dn Tratamientos (CIAT) – Latinoamérca
La Red de Voluntarios de Amigos Siempre Amigos (RevASA) – Dominican Republic
Latin American and Caribbean Council of NGO with AIDS Services (LACCASO)
Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network (LACWHN)
LIGA Bonaerense de Diversidad Sexual – Argentina
Liga Colombiana de Lucha Contra el Sida – Colombia
Mujer y Salud – MYSU – Uruguay
National AIDS Committee – Guyana
Observatorio de Violencia Social y de Género de la Sierra Norte de
Puebla – Mexico
Partners in Health
Physicians for Human Rights
PLUS, International AIDS Coalition
Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) – Nigeria
Red Argentina de Mujeres
Red Argentina de Mujeres Viviendo con VIH-SIDA (RAMVIHS) – Argentina
Red Argentina de Personas Positivas (REDAR POSITIVA) – Argentina
Red Latinoamericana de Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir.– Latin America
Red por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos – México
Redlac – Honduras
RESULTS USA
Senderos Asociacion Mutual – Colombia
SIDACTION
STOP AIDS NOW!
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC)
Treatment Action Group (TAG)
West African Treatment Access Group
Women Won’t Wait – Latin America