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Press
release
November 30, 2006
World leaders still failing to
deliver on funding for HIV/AIDS says ActionAid
Without urgent action, world leaders will
fail to fulfil their promise of delivering universal access to HIV/AIDS
treatment, prevention and care by 2010, according to the anti-poverty agency
ActionAid.
Every day 8,000 people die of AIDS related diseases yet the funding gap is
still $10 billion a year and only 20% of people living with the virus are
receiving treatment.
“Rich countries are in danger of making a mockery of their own
commitment to this fight,” said Aditi Sharma, Head of the
HIV/AIDS team at ActionAid.
“We cannot allow leaders to abandon the fight against AIDS as if
it were some passing fashion.”
Africa continues to bear the brunt of the epidemic with 72% of global deaths
caused by the virus, according to the latest 2006
UNAIDS report on the Global AIDS Epidemic.
Across Asia, only one in six people are receiving treatment while in India
treatment remains at below 10% of need.
“More than a year after world leaders committed to universal
access there is still no funding plan to finance this goal,” said
Sharma.
Evidence shows that the response should focus on the rights of the most
vulnerable groups - sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting
drug users, to reverse the spread of AIDS, but governments are studiously
avoiding them.
Young people between the ages of 15-24 years now account for 40% of the 4.3
million new infections and two thirds of these are young women.
But worldwide, only 20% of all young women understand how to prevent
transmission.
“We must not allow prejudice and ignorance to diminish
HIV/AIDS prevention efforts," said Sharma.
“Governments must allocate significant funds to back rhetoric on
promoting women's rights and the cost of treatment must be cut. And
preventative healthcare needs to be accessible to halt the needless death of
millions of people."
“While there is now some recognition that the fight against AIDS
will not be won unless gender inequality and violence against women and
girls are targeted, there is no government or donor around the world
committing adequate funds or implementing programmes needed to advance the
sexual and reproductive rights of women and reduce their vulnerability, ”
she added.
Note to editors:
The ActionAid briefing What will it take?
is available
here
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