Wash DC Synopsis: Fragile Political Support for Global HIV/AIDS, Health, & Anti-Poverty Programs

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues:Below are three recent posting that describe the extremely fragile political support for global HIV/AIDS, health and anti-poverty programs in the US political environment. Please let me know if my team or I can provide you any further information.Peace, Zeitz http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/newsroom/press_releases/American_Exceptionalism_Comes_up_Short_in_Obamas_State_of_the_Union/ American Exceptionalism Comes up Short in Obama’s State of the Union25 January 2011 Tonight’s State of the Union address is a disappointing reminder that President Obama has taken his eye off of America’s global obligations in the areas of global health and development. “Over the past decade, the United States has been a shining model to the rest of the world in working with countries to develop strong and sustainable country-led programs,” says Dr. Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. “Because of those efforts, the world stands at the brink of ending pediatric AIDS forever. Yet instead of building upon the values exemplified by American exceptionalism – regardless of a difficult fiscal environment – President Obama has instead chosen to shrink from America’s obligations.” A half century ago this month, President Kennedy offered a different vision for America, that it would “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,” he said. “To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required … because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” Yet America now is losing sight of its leadership on the global stage, overlooking opportunities to lead by example. For instance, Congress last month failed to pass bills to stop child marriage and violence against women. And America’s pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria last October was just $4 billion over 3 years – or $2 billion short of the U.S. fair share. By comparison, the U.S. has chosen to forego $68 billion through recent changes to the estate tax that exempt inheritances of $5 million or more. The Global Fund is the world’s most effective and transparent international organizations and has saved the lives of more than 6 million people infected with AIDS, TB and malaria. A wire story this week – based on information reported transparently by the Global Fund itself last year – detailed corruption in four of the Global Fund’s 145 grant-receiving countries, erroneously implying it is widespread. The story failed to state this occurred in less than 3/10ths of 1% of the Global Fund’s grants and that most of the money has been recovered due to the strong work of its inspector general. The U.S. shortfall to the Global Fund contributed to a dire level of pledges overall, forcing the Global Fund to scale-back its programs, rather than scale-up or maintain treatment levels. The result is that 3 million HIV-infected people will go without anti-retroviral treatment (ART), leaving 500,000 babies vulnerable to transmission from their mothers, adding to the world’s burden. “President Obama’s world view is off kilter,” says Dr. Zeitz, pointing to advances made by the previous administration through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). “Instead of establishing a strong framework that emphasizes American values and U.S. global leadership, this administration is pinching pennies at a real cost in human lives. The U.S. commitment to fight global HIV/AIDS is a rare issue that cuts across political lines, where Republicans and Democrats have stood together in support of American exceptionalism. For a relative pittance financially, America can help save millions of lives, enhance its international status and protect vulnerable nations from collapse. It is not too late for the Obama Administration and Congress to do the right thing.” One opportunity is the International AIDS Conference, scheduled to convene in Washington, D.C., during July 2012. In the run-up to the event, President Obama could make a significant contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS through, for instance, a well-funded policy to end pediatric HIV/AIDS once and for all. Why We Must Protect the Global Fund by Dr. ZeitzHuffington Post, 1 February 2011 The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is under assault, and without a strong response from the global health community to this week's unwarranted attack, the Fund's future could be in doubt. The attack came in the form of an Associated Press and Fox News stories that appeared days before President Obama's State of the Union address, when the president outlines his priorities and sets the stage for submission of his budget. The timing of the story -- and the velocity with which it was picked up by newspapers nationally and internationally -- is no coincidence. It's always easier to cut programs that have been criticized. Congress -- carving knives at the ready -- is preparing to make critical decisions about how the U.S. spends money. To read the full post, please click here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-paul-zeitz/why-we-must-protect-the-g_b_814843.html GOP seeks to slash foreign aidBy: February 1, 2011 04:38 AM EST Global Health excerpt:Perhaps the most sensitive issue is how to handle one Bush legacy: the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, under which the U.S. has made long-term commitments to help supply antiretroviral drugs to patients in Africa. Obama already faces criticism for not matching the dramatic expansion of funding envisioned in the 2008 reauthorization of PEPFAR — signed into law by Bush. Turning back the clock to 2008 would mean State’s PEPFAR budget would be cut to $4.6 billion — a 14 percent reduction from the estimated $5.35 billion provided in 2010. This is not the type of treatment that can be stopped — and then resumed later — without medical consequences. Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance, said the risk is that the virus would become more resistant to the course of drug treatment, requiring a new, and often, more expensive line of medicine to be used next. “It makes a fragile response even more fragile,” Zeitz told POLITICO. “It’s penny-wise, pound-foolish,” added Fawcett, global legislative director for Results, a global health group focused on tuberculosis — which kills many AIDS patients. For full posting: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48551.html