>From: Ylva Hernlund <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [WASAN] FW: [Adna-list] UPDATE: Bush's Broken Promises & Betrayals (fwd) >Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 07:28:53 -0700 > >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 00:15:44 +0000 >From: Charlotte Utting <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: [log in to unmask] >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [WASAN] FW: [Adna-list] UPDATE: Bush's Broken Promises & Betrayals > > > >---------- >From: Nunu Kidane <[log in to unmask]> >Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 13:16:24 -0700 >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [Adna-list] UPDATE: Bush's Broken Promises & Betrayals > >ADNA UPDATE: 030916 >Message from: Africa Action >For contact information see also: >http://www.africaaction.org/adna >Contact: "Ann-Louise Colgan" <[log in to unmask]> > > >Broken Promises & Betrayals > >Africa Action Talking Points on President Bush's AIDS Policies > >Since his State of the Union address in January 2003, President Bush has >reaped great public relations benefits by parading himself as a >compassionate conservative, committed to helping the people of Africa >defeat AIDS. But the reality is very different. > >When he traveled to the continent in July 2003, Bush repeatedly emphasized >how much his Administration was doing to fight the AIDS crisis. And on the >domestic front, the President has said that his Administration remains >committed to confronting AIDS in the U.S. But President Bush's track >record on AIDS policy reveals a litany of broken promises and betrayals. > >The President has misrepresented the actions of his Administration. He has >misled the American public, and he has failed the people of Africa. Bush's >broken promises are costing thousands of African lives every day. > >The following talking points include quotes from the President, promising >leadership in the war on AIDS. These are followed by facts about the >reality of his Administration's policies. > >Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (2003) > >Promises: > > To meet a severe and urgent crisis abroad, tonight I propose the Emergency >Plan for AIDS Relief a work of mercy beyond all current international >efforts to help the people of Africa...I ask the Congress to commit $15 >billion over the next five years, including nearly $10 billion in new >money, to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of >Africa and the Caribbean. (State of the Union address, January 28, 2003) > > > Next week, I will go to Africa to meet with leaders of African countries >and with some of the heroic men and women who are caring for the sick and >are saving lives...They deserve our help, without delay. And they will >have our help. (White House news conference, July 7, 2003) > >Reality: > >* The AIDS plan announced in the State of the Union address in January >2003 was not an emergency plan President Bush requested NO new money for >this initiative for the entire year of 2003. > >* President Bush promised $15 billion over 5 years, or $3 billion a year, >for his new AIDS initiative. But in his budget request for 2004, unveiled >the week following his promises, Bush asked for less than half a million >dollars ($450 million) for next year for this initiative. > >* Instead of the $3 billion per year over 5 years that was promised, most >of the money for the AIDS plan will not even be requested until 2005 and >beyond. This is after Bush's term in office will have ended, so there is >no guarantee this will be requested at all. Even more importantly, this >deadly delay will cost millions of African lives. > >* The focus of the new AIDS initiative is not really on Africa and the >Caribbean. The White House has clarified that the $15 billion will include >all U.S. funding for AIDS globally. In July 2003, President Bush said the >initiative he announced in January was to fight AIDS abroad , breaking his >own promise that it would be for Africa and the Caribbean. This means that >whatever amount of money is appropriated for AIDS, Africa will get far less >than promised. > >* In July 2003, the White House specifically asked Congress to limit AIDS >funding for next year. President Bush intervened during the budget process >to urge Congress not to spend the $3 billion that was being considered at >that time. This was after Bush had returned from Africa, where he had seen >first-hand the devastation caused by AIDS and where he had repeatedly >promised U.S. support for African efforts to fight AIDS. > >The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria > >Promises: > > The devastation across the globe left by AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and >the sheer number of those infected and dying is almost beyond >comprehension...The United States is committed to working with other >nations to reduce suffering and to spare lives. And working together is the >key. Only through sustained and focused international cooperation can we >address problems so grave and suffering so great. (Rose Garden Ceremony, >with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and Nigerian President >Olusegun Obasanjo, May 11, 2001) > >Reality: > >* In 2001, President Bush supported the creation of the Global Fund to >fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. But his Administration has >consistently undermined the effectiveness of this important vehicle by >refusing to pay the U.S. fair share, leaving it severely under-funded. > >* The U.S. has contributed only an average of $200 million a year to the >Global Fund since it was created in 2001. An equitable contribution to the >Global Fund from the U.S., based on the U.S. share of the global economy, >would be $3.5 billion per year. In contrast, the U.S. is spending more >than $1 billion a week on the war and occupation in Iraq. > >* President Bush said in January 2003 that the U.S. was committed to >leading the world in the fight against AIDS. But he continues to neglect >the best way to address the AIDS crisis the Global Fund to fight >HIV/AIDS. Bush has pledged only $200 million per year over the next 5 >years to the Global Fund as part of his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief . > >* U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, is chair >of the Board of Directors of the Global Fund. Yet the Global Fund is >running out of money because the U.S. is failing either to contribute its >share of resources or to act responsibly as Board chair and implement a >fundraising plan for this crucial vehicle. > >* To coordinate his new AIDS initiative, President Bush is creating a new >U.S. government bureaucracy that will compete directly with the Global >Fund. This bilateral approach breaks Bush s earlier promise to support >multilateral efforts to fight AIDS. This new U.S. agency will take money >away from the Global Fund. It is also less efficient, with ten times as >much overhead , or administrative costs, as the Global Fund. It is to be >headed by a former Drug company executive, Randall Tobias, of Eli Lilly & >Co. > >* While President Bush's AIDS plan is unlikely to be up and running until >at least 2005, the Global Fund is already operational and it can save lives >NOW. U.S. contributions to the Global Fund will leverage billions of >dollars from other donors. By refusing to support the important work of >the Global Fund, President Bush is undermining international efforts to >defeat AIDS and betraying those on the frontlines fighting this pandemic in >Africa. > >HIV/AIDS Treatment > >Promises: > > Anti-retroviral drugs can extend life for many years. And the cost of >these drugs has dropped from $12,000 a year to under $300 a year which >places a tremendous possibility within our grasp. (State of the Union >address, January 28, 2003) > > We'll work quickly to get help to the people who need it most by >purchasing low-cost anti-retroviral medications and other drugs that are >needed to save lives. (White House Ceremony, announcing the appointment of >the new Global AIDS Coordinator, The Roosevelt Room, July 2, 2003) > >Reality: > >* In 2001, the member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO), >including the U.S., adopted the Doha Declaration, which declared that >patents on drugs should not be allowed to hinder poor countries access to >essential medicines. But since this time, the U.S. has consistently >blocked efforts to relax patent rules and facilitate African >countries access to anti-AIDS drugs and other essential medicines. The >agreement reached in Geneva in August 2003 still imposes extremely >complicated procedures designed to protect patent rights, which leave >enormous obstacles to overcome before affordable medicines are actually >made available in Africa. > >* The Bush Administration s close ties to the pharmaceutical industry have >meant that U.S. policies continue to support the interests of the powerful >pharmaceutical lobby to keep their profits high. This betrays the efforts >of African countries to secure affordable access to essential HIV/AIDS >treatments for their people. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the >largest contributors to the Republican party. > >* President Bush named a pharmaceutical executive, Randall Tobias, as the >Coordinator of the new AIDS initiative that was announced earlier this >year. Tobias has no experience in public health or international affairs > he represents the pharmaceutical industry, which has sought to deny >Africans access to essential drugs. One prominent example of such was the >lawsuit brought against Nelson Mandela by several major pharmaceutical >companies in the 1990s, which sought to prevent the South African >government gaining access to essential anti-AIDS treatment for its >people. This suit was only withdrawn in 2001 under international pressure. > >* The choice of Randall Tobias by Bush reveals his allegiance to the >pharmaceutical companies and breaks the promise he made that the U.S. would >promote low-cost anti-AIDS drugs. > >* In June 2001, the Administrator of USAID, Andrew Natsios, said that AIDS >treatments would not work in Africa because Africans don t know what >Western time is. He used this racist and ignorant logic to oppose the >provision of essential treatments to people living with HIV/AIDS in >Africa. Africa Action wrote to Secretary of State Colin Powell >(Natsios boss) to demand a retraction, and to call for >Natsios dismissal. But the Bush Administration issued no retraction or >apology. > >* The Bush Administration continues to stall on providing low-cost AIDS >treatments to African countries, claiming that inadequate infrastructure >means that funding for treatment must wait. But treatment programs >throughout Africa need money now. The solution to weak infrastructure is >urgent investments to improve capacity. These delays in extending >treatment access are costing thousands of African lives every day. > >* The Bush Administration supports conservative measures that undermine a >comprehensive response to the AIDS crisis in Africa. These include >emphasizing abstinence-only measures, prioritizing prevention over >treatment, and opposing the use of condoms. This emphasis on >fundamentalist ideology over science and public health represents a >dangerous step backward in the fight against AIDS. > >Domestic HIV/ AIDS Programs > >Promises: > > We have confronted, and will continue to confront, HIV/AIDS in our own >country. (State of the Union address, January 28, 2003) > > >Reality: > >* As the HIV/AIDS crisis in the U.S. continues to grow, the Bush >Administration is failing to show leadership to address this urgent >situation. For the past 3 years, the Bush Administration has essentially >flat-funded domestic HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs. >* The CDC has stated that there are more than 40,000 new HIV infections in >the U.S. each year, half of these under the age of 24. A 2003 study from >Emory University has said that failure to reduce HIV infections by 50% in >the next two years could cost this country more than $18 >billion. President Bush s budget request for 2004 cut $4 million from >domestic HIV/AIDS prevention programs. > >* The 2004 budget request flat-funded the Minority AIDS Initiative, which >provides essential funding to organizations addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis >in communities of color across the U.S. There is a growing demand for >funding for this initiative, but the Bush Administration continues to >ignore this reality. More than half of all new HIV infections in this >country are occurring among Black people. > >* President Bush s budget request for 2004 proposed only a small ($5 >million) increase in the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) >program, although the demand for this program has grown dramatically, and >more funding is needed urgently. The CDC estimates that there are >currently 900,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. The total number >of people living with HIV domestically increased by 33% between 1996 and >1999. > >* The 2004 budget request contained an inadequate increase (only $100 >million) for the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP), but this is far less >than what is needed. Already 13 of these programs around the country have >had to limit access to anti-retroviral treatments or close enrollment to >new clients altogether because of inadequate funding. Another 7 programs >have reported they are likely to have to undertake similar measures in the >next year. > >* The Bush Administration remains committed to an abstinence only policy >when it comes to education about HIV/AIDS and STDs. Many AIDS advocacy and >AIDS service organizations have expressed grave concerns about an approach >that places political ideology over science and public health. Public >health experts emphasize that a comprehensive approach to HIV/AIDS >prevention must include education about condom use. > >* The federal ban on funding for needle exchange programs denies thousands >of injecting drug users in the U.S. access to a lifesaving medical >intervention. Access to sterile needles can help prevent thousands of HIV >infections ever year. At present, injecting drug users account for more >than one-third of all new HIV infections in the U.S. Federal funding for >needle exchange programs is needed to expand these programs to control the >spread of HIV and save thousands of lives. > >---------------------------------------------- >This message is distributed through the Advocacy Network for Africa (ADNA) > >Nunu Kidane >Advocacy Network for Africa (ADNA) >Communications Facilitator for ADNA >Jubilee USA Network >222 East Capitol Street, NE >Washington, DC 20003 >www.jubileeusa.org > >To unsubscribe your e-mail address from this group, send an email to: >[log in to unmask] To ensure that the ADNA database is updated >correctly, please also send a copy of your request, or any other request >for changes in your membership >information, to [log in to unmask] For additional assistance with >the adnalist, >write to [log in to unmask] > > > > >_______________________________________________ >Adna-list mailing list >[log in to unmask] >http://lists.kabissa.org/mailman/listinfo/adna-list > > >------------------------ Yahoo! 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