30 May 2006

Rich countries’ G8 promise to ensure universal access to treatment for HIV and AIDS will be broken unless firm commitments are made at this week’s UN High Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS, campaigners announced today.

In the run up to the meeting in New York, starting on Wednesday (31 May), ActionAid is calling on world leaders to deliver the resources needed to fight a disease that kills 8,000 people a day worldwide.

Simon Wright, UK Head of ActionAid’s HIV and AIDS campaign, said, "At last year’s G8 summit the leaders of the richest countries were clear in their commitment to fighting HIV and Aids. To fail to deliver the resources or policies to meet this target would be a betrayal of millions of poor people in developing countries. Sadly, it looks like this is the direction in which we’re travelling."

In July 2005, the G8 pledged to support 'universal access' to HIV prevention, care and treatment by 2010. It is estimated that $20billion per annum will be needed to reach this target, but as yet no plan has been formulated to reach this and no international targets fixed.

Further, rich countries appear uninterested in changing policies that prevent production of generic drugs at a fraction of the cost. The US, for example, has been widely criticised for making treatment packages conditional on the use of US manufactured drugs.

Leonard Okello, Head of ActionAid’s International HIV and AIDS theme, said, "The G8 pledge is looking as if it might become a meaningless gesture. The world’s most powerful leaders made a big deal about fighting HIV and AIDS but the political will has evaporated. It’s time for the talking to end – we need money on the table now."