GAA World AIDS Day Press Release

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PRESS RELEASE

World AIDS Day December 1st: Obama Needs to Lead

WASHINGTON, Nov 28, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In

anticipation of World AIDS Day on Monday, December 1, the Global AIDS

Alliance is calling on the incoming Obama Administration to intensify

the US effort against HIV/AIDS, both at home and abroad, and to resist

" AIDS fatigue. "

Over 100 global health advocacy organizations have signed a memo to US

President-Elect Obama, laying out practical and immediate steps he

should take on HIV/AIDS and related issues. The memo is online:

http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/page/-/GAR_Transition_Recommendations.

doc

Carol Bergman, Acting Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance,

stated:

" We are looking forward to the President-elect's new budget for Global

AIDS and hope that he will reject recent proposals that would diminish

the stature of the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator.

Expanding resources for Global AIDS in the FY 2010 budget will be

critical to achieving President-elect Obama's commitment to provide $50

billion over five years in the fight against the pandemic. The new

budget provides an opportunity for the President-elect to signal his

commitment to multilateralism by providing $2.7 billion for the Global

Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

In recent years, the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), which

is situated in the State Department, has demonstrated success in getting

urgently needed funds out to those on the ground that need it most. The

Obama Administration should reject proposals that might undermine the

effectiveness of the US response to AIDS. While a Cabinet-level

Department could bring important focus to development issues, simply

moving OGAC under the current structure of the US Agency for

International Development (USAID) would not achieve reform.

HIV/AIDS kills approximately 5,500 people each day, mostly in Africa,

leaving terrible suffering in its wake and undermining economic progress

in dozens of countries. Fortunately, the world is becoming much smarter

about how to fight the disease. Evidence shows that comprehensive

prevention works, access to treatment is saving millions of lives, and

innovative ways to approach prevention and treatment hold the promise of

an even more effective response.

Obama comes into office having made a number of specific commitments,

including on HIV prevention. He, along with Vice President-Elect Joe

Biden and Senator Hillary Clinton, the likely next US Secretary of

State, signed a pledge on this issue:

http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/index.php/c4_site/interior/2008_candid

ate_pledges/

Now is not the time to slow down the flow of resources, since a strong

investment is not only quite affordable but will also help forestall an

even worse AIDS crisis in the future. President-elect Obama rightly

wants to focus on global challenges that threaten our common humanity,

and delivering on our promises in the fight against AIDS will be a

critical initial test of that important vision. "

SOURCE Global AIDS Alliance

http://www.globalaidsalliance.org

Carol A. Bergman, Acting Executive Director & Policy Director

Global AIDS Alliance

1121 14 Street NW Suite 200

Washington, DC 20005

202-789-0432 x210

202-789-0715 (fax)

301-775-3629 (cell)

www.globalaidsalliance.org