Letter to UK G8 Development Minister

Rt Hon Hilary Benn,

Secretary of State for International Development,

1 Palace Street,

London

SW1E 5HE

20th March 2007

Dear Mr Benn,

I am writing on behalf of the Stop AIDS Campaign – a coalition of over 80 UK-based NGOs and Trade Unions – in advance of your participation in the G8 Development Ministers meeting on 26th and 27th March 2007. With HIV and AIDS on the G8 agenda, this meeting provides a real opportunity to set a bold and challenging agenda ahead of the G8 Heads of State Summit in June, and to take the actions needed to keep the promise of Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care by 2010.

With just 3 years remaining until the target date for Universal Access, the international community is clearly failing to live up to its commitments. 2007 will see an estimated funding shortfall of $8.1bn for HIV and AIDS, while 4 million more health workers will be needed to deliver HIV services for all. Many life-saving treatments remain under patent and out of reach for poor people and poor countries, threatening the sustainability of the treatment target and limiting the effectiveness of available resources. As a result, more than 75% of people urgently needing treatment are not receiving it, and only 9% of pregnant women have access to simple treatments preventing transmission of HIV to their child. 3 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2006.

Clearly, bold actions are required by G8 countries if the life-saving promises are to be kept, and civil society in the UK is calling on you to help deliver them. I have enclosed a briefing paper published by the Stop AIDS Campaign outlining the actions we believe the G8 must take in 2007, and hope you will work to deliver them. These include:

1) Agreeing a long-term, comprehensive funding plan for Universal Access, ensuring sufficient predictable resources are available to tackle the pandemic.

2) Strengthening health systems through sustainable financing and addressing the shortage of health workers.

3) Reducing the price of life-saving treatment by removing trade barriers that prevent the production and distribution of generic medicines.

4) Supporting women and children affected by HIV and AIDS, including achieving Universal Access to services preventing Mother to Child Transmission

Specific proposals on each of these items are included in the briefing paper. We firmly believe that for an effective and comprehensive response, all of these issues must be tackled by the G8 in 2007 and reflected in commitments made in the final communiqué.

We also believe that the G8 Development Ministers meeting is a key opportunity to pursue these aims, and we urge you to use this meeting to ensure that they are delivered.

On 20th March 2007, campaigners from across the country participated in a day of action around parliament, including an event you kindly agreed to attend. They lobbied their MPs and presented the thousands of action cards collected by campaigners so far, calling on you to take bold action on Universal Access at this G8. I hope you will listen to their appeals. You have demonstrated great personal leadership in giving HIV and AIDS political prominence. We hope you are able to continue your efforts to deliver meaningful progress on the goal of Universal Access for people affected by HIV and AIDS across the world.

We will be watching intently the outcomes of the Development Ministers meeting and look forward to your response. Thank you for your continued commitment to this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Bluestone

Chair, Stop AIDS Campaign