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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
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USA: Global Health Fund Alert
USA: Global Health Fund Alert
Date distributed (ymd): 011015
Document reposted by APIC
Africa Policy Electronic Distribution List: an information
service provided by AFRICA ACTION (incorporating the Africa
Policy Information Center, The Africa Fund, and the American
Committee on Africa). Find more information for action for
Africa at http://www.africapolicy.org
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +economy/development+ +health+ +US policy focus+
SUMMARY CONTENTS:
This posting contains an action alert asking for calls to the U.S.
Congress concerning a supplemental appropriation for the UNinitiated
Global AIDS and Health Fund, which is scheduled to start
operations by the end of this year. While the alert is particularly
appropriate for U.S. readers, we are distributing it more widely.
Given the urgency of adequate funding for the Fund, we are also
asking non-U.S. readers to forward the alert immediately to those of
your U.S. contacts you think might be willing to act on it.
The alert comes from the Global AIDS Alliance, RESULTS, and Church
World Service. It is preceded by a short cover note from Africa
Action executive director Salih Booker.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cover Note from Africa Action
The level of funding for the new Global AIDS and Health Fund is one
of the decisive fronts in the struggle for Africa's right to
health, and continued U.S. failure to increase funding would be a
crippling handicap for the fund, led by an international working
group directed by former Ugandan Health Minister Dr. Crispus
Kiyonga.
If the scale of funding is not greatly increased to approach the
$10 billion a year estimated as necessary, the fund will fall far
short. And there is the danger that it could entirely exclude
funding for treatment necessary to save as many as possible of the
almost 7,000 Africans dying every day from AIDS.
When lawmakers can quickly find tens of billions of dollars to
subsidize airlines (though not yet workers) and to finance war
activities, the modest $3 billion a year that would be an
appropriate U.S. contribution to the global fund must remain the
goal. The $1 billion supplemental called for in the alert below is
a bare minimum first step.
We must embrace a wider vision of our common humanity on multiple
fronts to further human security. In the attacks on U.S. embassies
in 1998 in Kenya and Tanzania, the interconnectedness of every
country's security could not have been more obvious. Yet the lesson
was missed.
The UN now estimates that the economic impact of September 11 will
reduce expected growth rates in Africa by more than 1 percent. The
devastating consequences will further hamper the struggle against
AIDS. Please add your voice to remind lawmakers that substantive
action on AIDS is an urgent imperative of global human security.
-- Salih Booker
12 October 2001
ACTION ALERT: SUPPORT $1 BILLION IN FY02 EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR THE
GLOBAL AIDS AND HEALTH FUND
[Contributions to this action alert were made by the Global AIDS
Alliance (http://www.globalaidsalliance.org), RESULTS
(http://www.resultsusa.org), and Church World Service
(http://www.churchworldservice.org). It is being distributed by
these and other allied organizations supporting increased funding
for global health.]
ACTION:
Urge your Senators and Representative to sign on to the Dear
Colleague letters to President Bush that call for a $1 billion
contribution to the Global AIDS and Health Fund.
Have House members sign on by calling Michael Riggs in Rep. Barbara
Lee's (D-CA) office: 202-225-2661 or by calling Mary Andrus in Rep.
James Leach's (R-IA) office: 202-225-6576.
Have Senators sign on by calling Senator Leahy's office at:
202-224-4242.
Additional contact information for members of congress
can be found at:
http://capwiz.com/churchworld/dbq/officials/
THE CURRENT DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTERS:
Thanks to the efforts of key House and Senate members, Dear
Colleague letters to President Bush are circulating that ask for a
FY02 $1 billion emergency supplemental for the Global AIDS and
Health Fund.
Call now and urge your Representative to sign on to the bi-partisan
Dear Colleague letter in the House, sponsored by Representatives
Barbara Lee (D-CA), James Leach (R-IA), Jim Nader (D- NY), Connie
Morelia (R-MD), and John Conyers (D-MI).
Call now and urge your Senator to sign on to the Leahy Dear
Colleague letter in the Senate. Senator Leahy has issued a letter
calling for a $1.2 billion emergency supplemental--$1 billion for
the Global Fund and $200 million for SAID. Urge your Senators to
contact Leahy's office at: 202-224-4242 to sign on.
We only have a couple of weeks to build support for urgent action
before Congress goes on recess!
BACKGROUND:
As we all seek healing during this tumultuous time, we are reminded
of the needs of the more than 36 million around the world who are
infected with HIV/AIDS, 25 million of them in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Worldwide, this crisis has killed 22 million people and has
orphaned 13 million children.
This crisis, on its own merits, requires focused attention from the
U.S. and the international community. An estimated 50 million
persons are projected to be infected by 2005. Ninety-five percent
of persons who are currently infected cannot get access to
life-saving medications. A public health crisis of this magnitude
cannot be addressed within the regular appropriations process. Bold
interventions are required and an emergency supplemental is the
best way to tackle the crisis. Because of the U.S. role in the
world and our share of global wealth--estimated to be nearly
30%--we are calling for a $1 billion emergency supplemental for the
Global AIDS and Health Fund in FY 2002 (fiscal year 2002 began
October 1, 2001). The emergency supplemental would assist in
stopping AIDS in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America and
other impoverished regions.
The Global AIDS and Health Fund, directed by the former health
minister of Uganda, will provide resources to a broad range of
desperately needed programs of AIDS prevention, care, and treatment
in many impoverished regions. Countries will not have to comply
with structural adjustment conditions or buy US products to receive
resources from the Global Fund. The Fund currently has just over
$1.5 billion in donations from many sources for several years of
operation, but it needs $10 billion a year to be fully operational.
SUPPORT FOR THE GLOBAL AIDS AND HEALTH FUND IN CONGRESS:
There is bipartisan support in Congress for fighting AIDS and it
impact on children and families. Earlier this year, the House
International Relations Committee, under the leadership of Chairman
Henry Hyde of Illinois, passed a bill authorizing $750 million in
2002 to fight HIV/AIDS internationally. Congress is expected to
authorize $200 million for the Global AIDS and Health Fund within
regular spending bills, as promised by President Bush earlier this
year in an immediate response to the UN's call for funding in
addition to $100 million provided in a previous supplemental
spending bill. This is a good first step, but Congress must do more
in up-coming emergency supplemental bill. Spending $1 billion in
2002-a small portion of our national resources--to address the
urgent global dilemma of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria is not only the
right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.
WHAT TO SAY:
Phone calls are urgently needed at this time - this week and next.
Tip: be diplomatic and patient with Congressional staff and stay
focused on our goal: more funds to stop AIDS.
Call the Congressional Switchboard and ask for your Senators, then
your Representative: 202-224-3121. If this is busy you can find the
direct line plus email addresses on the web at:
http://www.house.gov http://www.senate.gov
Request to speak with the staff person that handles foreign affairs
issues.
Say something like: "I know the Congress has been working hard in
these difficult times and you have my best wishes. I'd like to
bring to your attention a Dear Colleague letter to President Bush
being circulated. It calls for an emergency supplemental
appropriation for the Global AIDS and Health Fund of $1 billion.
This is a very critical time in the fight against AIDS--36 million
persons are already infected. An estimated 50 million persons
worldwide are expected to be infected by 2005. If the U.S. and the
international community do not make bold interventions to prevent
and to treat infections, the level of human loss would be unlike
anything the world has ever lived. Where does the
Senator/Representative stand on this issue?"
[Encourage that the member sign the Dear Colleague by calling the
appropriate office listed at the beginning of the Action Alert.]
Email and fax your members of Congress; if possible call them at
their local and state offices as well as at their Washington, DC
offices.
FINAL SENATE SIGN ON---circulation to be started on/about 12
October or 15 October SENATE SIGN ON BEING ORIGINATED BY SENATE
LEAHY
October xx, 2001
The Honorable George Bush
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
While the world's attention is appropriately focused on combating
international terrorism, we are writing about another global
scourge -- HIV/AIDS, which has claimed the lives of over 25 million
people, including an estimated four million children.
On June 11, 2001, you submitted FY 2002 budget amendments totaling
$200 million for a United States contribution to a new Global Fund
to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which together kill
more than 17,000 people each day. While we appreciate that first
step, the Global Fund cannot possibly mount an effective response
to these diseases without significantly larger contributions of
funds, which will only happen if the United States leads the way.
We are therefore writing to urge you to submit to the Congress an
emergency supplemental request for an additional $1.2 billion to
combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We believe these
emergency funds are essential to leverage additional investments
from both public and private sources to meet the annual cost of
combating these diseases -- estimated by public health officials to
be $10 billion for HIV/AIDS alone.
We are aware that the Federal budget faces severe constraints.
However, the human catastrophe resulting from HIV/AIDS, which is
projected to infect 50 million people by 2005, is unlike anything
the world has known for over half a millennium. A public health
crisis of this scale cannot be addressed within the regular
Appropriations process without slashing funding for other critical
needs, and clearly warrants emergency designation. The fact that
we can prevent HIV infection, and that affordable drugs exist that
can substantially reduce the rate of mother-to-child transmission
and prolong the lives of infected people, makes it incumbent on us
to immediately utilize whatever budgetary mechanisms are available.
The $1.2 billion we seek should be allocated to the U.S. Agency for
International Development, with $1 billion to be provided to the
Global Fund assuming it becomes operational and has the capacity to
manage resources effectively in early 2002. The funds should be
used to support a wide range of interventions, from education,
prevention and basic care to the procurement of HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria related drugs and commodities, including
antiretroviral agents in situations where their use can be
effectively managed, and anti-malaria interventions such as
insecticide-treated bed nets. Priority should be given to programs
that increase the number of people covered by these proven
interventions in countries severely affected or at high risk of
rapid spread of these diseases.
This initiative would greatly bolster American leadership and the
shared commitments of the world community to save millions of lives
from epidemic disease. We are confident that our increased support
would galvanize significantly larger contributions from other donor
countries, without which this effort cannot succeed.
Again, we appreciate what you and your Administration have done
thus far against these diseases. It is clear, however, that a far
more forceful response by the United States is urgently needed.
Respectfully,
House of Representatives Dear Colleague Letter
As of 12 Oct: 18 Members (2 Republican/16 Democrat) Members of the
House of Representatives have signed on in less than 24 hours of
circulation.
EXTEND THE FIGHT FOR LIFE
SUPPORT THE BIPARTISAN $1 BILLION EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL REQUEST
FOR GLOBAL HIV/AIDS FUNDING
October 11, 2001
Dear Colleague:
While the world's attention is appropriately focused on combating
international terrorism, we cannot afford to ignore another global
scourge- HIV/AIDS -- which has claimed the lives of over 25 million
people, including an estimated four million children, most of whom
live in sub-Saharan Africa.
As we conclude Congressional business this year, we ask you to join
us in requesting to the President, $1 billion in emergency funding
to fight the global AIDS pandemic, TB and malaria. The global AIDS
crisis, particularly as it is affecting the African continent,
stands as the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. Eight
thousand people died of AIDS every day last year six people died
every minute. Since the virus was first recognized 20 years ago,
58 million people have been infected, and at current rates of
spread the total will exceed 100 million by 2007. AIDS has
orphaned over 10 million children in Africa. By 2010, there will
be more than 40 million AIDS orphans.
To its credit the Bush Administration has committed $200 million to
a global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. The fund is
expected to leverage funding with a 1-9 return rate. Already the
fund has received commitments of $1.7 billion from international
donors. While this is a good start, the United Nations Secretary
General, Kofi Annan, international HIV/AIDS and health experts, and
other world leaders have stated that it will require $7 - $10
billion annually to effectively fight HIV/AIDS and infectious
diseases globally.
We are all aware of the current Federal budget constraints and the
trauma for our budget as well as people because of the terrorist
challenge. However, the human catastrophe resulting from HIV/AIDS
is unlike anything the world has known. A public health crisis of
this scale, which cannot be addressed in the current budget
allocations without slashing other critical needs, clearly warrants
an emergency designation. An emergency appropriation of $1
billion for FY02 is essential so that additional investments from
both public and private sources can be leveraged to meet the cost
of effectively combating the global AIDS pandemic.
We urge you to join us in sending the attached bipartisan letter to
the President requesting an additional $1 billion to fight the
global AIDS crisis. If you require additional information, please
contact Michael Riggs of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's staff at
5-2661, or Mary Andrus of Congressman Leach's office at 2-6576 The
deadline is October 19, 2001.
Barbara Lee, Member of Congress; James Leach, Member of Congress;
Connie Morella, Member of Congress; John Conyers, Member of
Congress; Jerrold Nadler, Member of Congress
DRAFT
October XX, 2001
The Honorable George Bush
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
While the world's attention is appropriately focused on combating
international terrorism, we are writing about another global
scourge- HIV/AIDS -- which has claimed the lives of over 25 million
people, including an estimated four million children.
On June 11, 2001, the Administration submitted FY 2002 budget
amendments totaling $200 million for a United States contribution
to a new Global Fund to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria,
which together kill more than 17,000 people each day. While we
appreciate that first step, the Global Fund cannot possibly mount
an effective response to these endemic diseases without a
significantly larger financial contribution], which will only be
made if the United States, the world's wealthiest nation, sets the
example. We are therefore writing to urge the Administration, in
the strongest terms, to submit to the Congress an emergency
supplemental request for an additional $1 billion to combat
HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. We believe this U.S. government FY 2002
emergency appropriation is essential so that additional investments
from both public and private sources can be leveraged to meet the
multi-billion dollar annual cost of combating the global AIDS
pandemic.
We are aware that the Federal budget faces severe constraints and
that the war on terrorism involves new outlays based on a
confidence questioned economy. However, the human catastrophe
resulting from HIV/AIDS is unlike anything the world has known for
over half a millennium. Public health crises of this scale cannot
be ignored despite the new terrorist challenge to the national
interest. Indeed, if a pandemic that is now projected to infect
over 100 million people with a deadly, incurable virus by 2007 does
not qualify for emergency funding, it is difficult to conceive of
any issue that does.
The $1 billion we seek should be allocated to the US Agency for
International Development to be provided to the Global Fund when
the Fund is operational, in order to support a wide range of
interventions, from education and prevention to the procurement of
HIV/AIDS/TB related drugs and commodities, including antiretroviral
agents in situations where their use can be effectively managed,
and anti-malaria interventions such as insecticide- treated bed
nets. The goal is to have the Global Fund in operation with the
capacity to manage resources and procure essential drugs and
commodities by early 2002. To maximize the Global Fund's impact,
the funds should be used for results-based programs that
specifically increase the number of people covered by the direct
provision of drugs, other commodities and services to beneficiaries
in countries severely affected by these diseases.
The fact that techniques which prevent the spread of HIV infection
exist, and that drugs exist that can substantially reduce the rate
of mother-to-child transmission and prolong the lives of people who
are infected, makes it incumbent on us to immediately utilize
whatever budgetary mechanisms are available.
Again, we appreciate the commitment you and your Administration
have demonstrated on the HIV/AIDS issue. It is clear, however, that
a ]more aggressive response by the United States is urgently
needed.
Respectfully,
Signatures
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by
Africa Action (incorporating the Africa Policy Information
Center, The Africa Fund, and the American Committee on Africa).
Africa Action's information services provide accessible
information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and
international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of human rights.
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