Campaigners warn G8 not to renege on AIDS commitments
4 July 2008: Amid fears that critical AIDS pledges made at previous G8 summits will be reneged at this year’s meeting in Japan, over 200 civil society organisations from more than 60 countries have signed a letter to G8 heads of state underscoring the fundamental need to fulfil the promise of universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.
Calling on the G8 to “honour the AIDS commitments that have already been made” the letter reminds the leaders that ,“This year’s G8 summit will leave a legacy. The question is whether this summit’s legacy will be one of action appropriate to the challenges of our times or just another meeting filled with more promises postponed.”
Three specific pledges are highlighted: ensuring that universal access remains on the G8 agenda, publishing firm plans and timetables to deliver on existing commitments, and establishing a high-level G8 AIDS mechanism to review progress and inform G8 strategy and commitments on health and HIV and AIDS specifically.
The lack of action on previous pledges, the letter states, is a reminder “that any global health agenda will fail unless it is supported by leadership commitment, strategic purpose and solid resource commitments.”
The Financial Times, which obtained a copy of the draft communiqué, highlighted in a 29 June article that G8 leaders seem to be abandoning their pledge made in Gleneagles to provide universal access to AIDS treatment and prevention by 2010. The draft communiqué states they will continue to work towards the goal of universal access but does not mention a deadline.
“The solemn pledge of the 2005 Gleneagles summit that has been reiterated in each of the successive G8 summits, inspired the 2005 World Summit and served to set the benchmarks for the United Nations High Level AIDS meetings of 2006 and 2008” says Marcel van Soest, Executive Director of the World AIDS Campaign. “To abandon this promise now calls into question the credibility of all G8 commitments including the Millennium Development Goals.”
Signatories to the civil society letter include labour unions, youth coalitions, women’s organisations, positive people’s networks, faith based organisations, and international and national development and AIDS organisations.
“The G8’s failure to lead by adhering to definitive deadlines, providing clear resource commitments and an unambiguous strategy to achieve universal access continues to cast a huge shadow over the rest of the world’s response,” emphasises van Soest. “To walk away from this commitment sends precisely the wrong signal at exactly the wrong time.”
For the full text of the letter and list of signatories click here.
For more information contact the World AIDS Campaign at media@worldaidscampaign.org, +31 6 53 61 41 98 (Netherlands) or +27 74 111 27 44 (South Africa).