Staff Biographies
Carol Bergman, Interim Executive Director: Carol has been engaged in federal legislative and policy work for over 20 years, and has an extensive background in criminal justice, immigration, and civil rights. She served as Director of Legislative Affairs for drug policy in the Clinton White House, and as Associate Counsel for the Committee on Government Operations in the U.S. House of Representatives, under Chairman John Conyers. Carol has also worked as an organizer and lobbyist for several international human rights organizations, including the Center for Community Change, the Open Society Institute, and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. She holds a B.A. from Hampshire College and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.
Laura M. Chambers, Deputy Executive Director, Management: Laura has over two decades of nonprofit advocacy and management experience, including strong expertise in operations, program design and management, fundraising, and coalition building. Prior to joining GAA, she served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Civic Ventures; Senior Program Manager of the Institute for Change at the Service Employees International Union; and Interim CEO and Vice President of the Leadership for a Changing World Program—a $23 million multi-year awards program—at the Advocacy Institute. Laura was also the Executive Director for both the Women’s Housing Coalition and Hannah House in Baltimore. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, Laura holds a B.A. in psychology from the College of William and Mary and completed the Leadership for the 21st Century program at Harvard University.
Georgina Bukenya, Director, Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS (CEPA): Georgina has a strong legal background, including experience in advocacy and lobbying related to women’s and children’s human rights and families affected by HIV/AIDS, and has provided pro bono legal and other services for several AIDS organizations. She holds a L.L.B. from Makarere University, an L.L.M. in international economic law from the University of Warwick, and an L.L.M. in U.S. and global legal studies, with a focus on health law, from Case Western Reserve University.
Rachel Burton, Policy Associate: Rachel has a strong background on health education policy issues and previously served as Policy Specialist with The Arc of the District of Columbia, and Project Associate with the New York University Advanced Project in Public Policy Analysis and Management at the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York. She interned with the Children’s Defense Fund and Andrea & Associates Public Relations. Rachel holds a B.A. in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, and an M.P.A. in public and nonprofit management and policy from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Julie Hecker, Accountant: Julie has extensive nonprofit financial, budgeting, and accounting experience. Her previous positions include Director of Finance for the San Diego Symphony and Finance Manager for the San Diego Foundation. Julie holds a B.S. in accounting from San Diego State University.
Susana Oguntoye, CEPA Advocacy Impact Officer: Susana is a public health specialist with a focus on monitoring and evaluation of health projects. She has over six years of experience working with public health NGOs on community mobilization and health services development; has considerable expertise on health research and policy; and has helped design and implement health service development programs in the U.K., U.S., and West Africa. Prior to joining GAA, Susana served as Senior Research and Policy Officer for the Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development, where she worked on the health and well-being of African women and girls in Africa and the European Union. Raised in Nigeria, Susana holds a B.S. in molecular biology and immunology from King’s College, University of London, and an M.P.H. from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Jonathan Stern, Director, Strategic Communications: Jonathan Stern has more than two decades of experience as a reporter, editor, and publisher. After working for several newspapers, Jonathan held a series of positions with United Communications Group, where he covered a range of topics, including health care policy, international political risk, banking, economics and technology, most prominently breaking the WorldCom accounting scandal. He most recently served as a publisher and business development director, creating dozens of conferences, webinars, publications and websites, and forging multiple partnerships and affinity campaigns. Jonathan holds a B.S. in journalism from Northern Arizona University, and an M.A. in international studies from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Danae Tuley, Grants Manager: Danae launched and managed the National Geographic Society’s first international grant program supporting capacity-building projects, including designing and implementing an outreach strategy, and providing ongoing logistical and data management support. Previously, Danae managed the National Geographic Society’s donor database and gift processing; held development positions with In2Books and the Conservation Fund; and served as Program Associate for the Gender Development Institute in Accra, Ghana. Danae holds a B.A. in communications from Richmond University in London and an M.A. in African Studies in gender and development from the University of Ghana.
Dexter Streat, Administrative Assistant
Bonaventure Wakana, CEPA Director of African Partnerships: Bonaventure has 19 years of experience working with international development and civil-society organizations, including over 13 years of high-level NGO experience across Africa and internationally. He has strong expertise in strategic planning and leadership, program development and management, policy advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, donor relations and management, partnership building, and organizational change management. Bonaventure also has a strong background on HIV/AIDS, economic justice, gender justice, conflict transformation, and local governance and accountability, with a focus on the needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups. Prior to joining GAA, he was the International Programming Director of the Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD) for seven years. Bonaventure holds a degree in rural socio-economy from the University of Burundi and a post-graduate diploma in project management from the Center for Studies and Multidisciplinary Training in Belgium.
February 14, 2011, Washington, DC—President Obama has demonstrated strong leadership in global health through his unwavering 2012 budget commitment today to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The president’s budget includes $1.3 billion for the Global Fund.
However, such funding falls far short of the $2 billion US fair share needed to treat 3 million HIV-infected people, and it leaves 500,000 babies vulnerable to transmission from their mothers, adding to the world’s burden. That $2 billion is about the same amount as the US is spending on several discredited weapons systems that Defense Secretary Gates has called into question. This includes spending nearly $2 billion on the Medium Extended Air Defense System, despite a blistering internal Army report that called it ill-suited, and $3 billion on the Marines' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, which Gates has said should be canceled due to extreme reliability issues.
Defending the Global Fund
The Global Fund, by contrast, is the world’s most effective and transparent international organization and has saved the lives of more than 6.5 million people infected with AIDS, TB and malaria. A recent wire story—based on information reported transparently by the Global Fund itself last year—detailed problems in four of the Global Fund’s 145 grant-receiving countries, erroneously implying it is widespread. The story failed to state this occurred in less than 3/10ths of 1% of the Global Fund’s grants and that most of the money has been recovered due to the strong work of its inspector general.
“President Obama is making a clear statement that the Global Fund is vital in the effort to prevent and treat global HIV/AIDS,” says Carol Bergman, interim executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. “The Administration clearly has not been cowed by drastically overblown media reports from suspect sources.”
The Obama Administration made an unprecedented multi-year pledge to the Global Fund in October of $4 billion over 3 years, or about $1.3 billion per year—the same amount in the President’s budget. That is a $300 million increase from his request last year, despite operating in a charged political environment where cost-cutting has been extreme.
Congressional Challenges Remain
On Friday, the House proposed cutting the President’s request for the 2011 global health budget by an astounding $1.5 billion. This would cut global AIDS programs by $813.3 million compared to the year before. Such cuts would translate into the deaths of more than 1 million people who rely on access to lifesaving medicines through the Global Fund and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a highly successful program established by President George W. Bush and carried forward by President Obama.
Although the cuts still are being debated and relate to last year’s request—not the just-released 2012 budget—they point to the need for strong backing of these bipartisan programs by those who worked with President Bush to pass PEPFAR. The Obama Administration has further emphasized the importance of global health to national security, an issue that Democrats and Republicans have found common ground to support.
“Over the past decade, the United States has been a shining model to the rest of the world in working with countries to develop strong and sustainable country-led programs,” says Bergman. “Because of those efforts, the world stands at the brink of ending pediatric AIDS forever, rather than risk the potential collapse of weak states. President Obama is standing firm on meeting America’s obligations.”
Tonight’s State of the Union address is a disappointing reminder that President Obama has taken his eye off of America’s global obligations in the areas of global health and development.
“Over the past decade, the United States has been a shining model to the rest of the world in working with countries to develop strong and sustainable country-led programs,” says Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. “Because of those efforts, the world stands at the brink of ending pediatric AIDS forever. Yet instead of building upon the values exemplified by American exceptionalism – regardless of a difficult fiscal environment – President Obama has instead chosen to shrink from America’s obligations.”
A half century ago this month, President Kennedy offered a different vision for America, that it would “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,” he said. “To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required … because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
Yet America now is losing sight of its leadership on the global stage, overlooking opportunities to lead by example. For instance, Congress last month failed to pass bills to stop child marriage and violence against women. And America’s pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria last October was just $4 billion over 3 years – or $2 billion short of the U.S. fair share. By comparison, the U.S. has chosen to forego $68 billion through recent changes to the estate tax that exempt inheritances of $5 million or more.
The Global Fund is the world’s most effective and transparent international organizations and has saved the lives of more than 6 million people infected with AIDS, TB and malaria. A wire story this week – based on information reported transparently by the Global Fund itself last year – detailed corruption in four of the Global Fund’s 145 grant-receiving countries, erroneously implying it is widespread. The story failed to state this occurred in less than 3/10ths of 1% of the Global Fund’s grants and that most of the money has been recovered due to the strong work of its inspector general.
The U.S. shortfall to the Global Fund contributed to a dire level of pledges overall, forcing the Global Fund to scale-back its programs, rather than scale-up or maintain treatment levels. The result is that 3 million HIV-infected people will go without anti-retroviral treatment (ART), leaving 500,000 babies vulnerable to transmission from their mothers, adding to the world’s burden.
“President Obama’s world view is off kilter,” says Dr. Zeitz, pointing to advances made by the previous administration through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). “Instead of establishing a strong framework that emphasizes American values and U.S. global leadership, this administration is pinching pennies at a real cost in human lives. The U.S. commitment to fight global HIV/AIDS is a rare issue that cuts across political lines, where Republicans and Democrats have stood together in support of American exceptionalism. For a relative pittance financially, America can help save millions of lives, enhance its international status and protect vulnerable nations from collapse. It is not too late for the Obama Administration and Congress to do the right thing.”
One opportunity is the International AIDS Conference, scheduled to convene in Washington, D.C., during July 2012. In the run-up to the event, President Obama could make a significant contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS through, for instance, a well-funded policy to end pediatric HIV/AIDS once and for all.
Although there may be many positive spins on the accomplishments of the 111th Congress, it was a disaster for women-centered, global health and international development. Unfortunately, we expect this is not a good omen of what’s to come in the 112th. By leaving crucial votes to the end of the session, the Congress failed to pass important bills into laws.
FY11 Spending
Global Health programs took a huge financial hit when the Senate failed to pass an omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2011 (FY11). This was due mainly to united Republican opposition focused on earmarks, and that a super-majority of 60 is now needed to pass anything in the Senate to prevent a filibuster. The bill would have increased funding for global health by $442 million.
As a result, the number of people around the world receiving life saving HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care services will be reduced by $91 million and funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria will be reduced by $75 million. The impact on the ground is likely to be worse—the cut to the Global Fund will send a signal to other donors that it is ok to cut their contributions to the Fund.
Instead, the Senate passed another continuing resolution to fund government programs at FY10 levels through March 4, 2011. This gives the incoming Republican-controlled House the opportunity to attempt to further reduce spending. Incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner has indicated that he would like to return to FY08 funding levels.
What does this mean for the Global Fund?
It’s not good news. The incoming Chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), has made very clear that she is not a friend of multi-laterals in general, and the UN in particular. By appointing Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) as chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations she has signaled her intention to seek out waste in foreign affairs spending.
Prevention of Child Marriage
Congress waited until the very end of the legislative session to dedicate time to a bipartisan bill with significant bipartisan support that would greatly advance children’s well-being.
The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 1, 2010, and if the House had followed suit and the bill was signed into law, it would improve the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid by integrating child marriage prevention strategies into current U.S. foreign policy and development programs. Sixty million girls in the global south are married—some as young as 8 years old, and unable to benefit from basic education and health assistance.
We thought the fight was to get Floor time in the House at the end of the Session. Instead, once time was made for the bill – the House Republican leadership decided to kill it. Right before the vote, the GOP leadership announced that they intended to vote no on the bill; incoming House Foreign Affairs chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) appealed to concerns over the deficit and abortion – despite the fact that the arguments are false. The bill does not authorize new funding, and the bill does not contain funds that could be used to promote abortion nor change U.S. law with respect to abortion.
Representative Stephen LaTourrette (R-OH), a co-sponsor of the bill, publicly criticized the Republican leadership’s decision to use the abortion issue as a tactic to kill the bill. The day after the bill was defeated he said:
Yesterday I was on the floor and I was a co-sponsor with [on] a piece of legislation with [Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)] that would have moved money, no new money, would have moved money so that societies that are coercing young girls into marriage... we could make sure that they stay in school so they're not forced into marriage at the age of 12 and 13. All of a sudden there was a fiscal argument. When that didn't work people had to add an abortion element to it. This is a partisan place. I'm a Republican. I'm glad we beat their butt in the election, but there comes a time when enough is enough.
The roadblocks used by the Republican leadership to defeat an uncontroversial bill with bipartisan support underscores the uphill battles to come on any legislation addressing foreign assistance and the needs of women and girls in the next Congress.
IVAWA
The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) was introduced in both the House and the Senate in February 2010. While there was bipartisan support for the bill initially, issues related to funding the bill, and abortion, eventually caused a party-line divide with the relatively few Republican supporters. Sen. Kerry (D-MA) marked up IVAWA in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December 2010—during the last weeks of the congressional session—but no further action was taken.
IVAWA addresses international violence against women and girls through a multisectoral lens—linking the response to violence with other foreign assistance programs, such as development assistance, humanitarian aid, global health, and peacekeeping. This coordinated response addresses socio-cultural and gender norms, the legal environment, the integration of violence prevention and response with health services, and the provision of safe educational spaces for both girls and boys. IVAWA also allows for civil-society capacity building and program implementation by indigenous groups, which helps strengthen community ownership and enhance sustainability, and ensures that programs are tailored to meet local needs and priorities.
112th Congress
Looking forward to the 112th Congress, it is clear that we will need strong allies on both sides of the aisle. When PEPFAR I was enacted into law in 2003, there was a very different Congress in office. *
* Of the 435 current Members of the House of Representatives, only 225 were in office in 2003. .
* Of the 49 members of the House Committee on International Relations in 2003, only 18 currently serve on that Committee.
* Of the 100 members of the Senate in 2003, only 52 remain in office.
* Of the 19 Senators on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in 2003, only 3 are serving in the 112th Congress.
* Thanks to Amb. Mark Green of the Malaria Policy Institute for this data.
Although there may be many positive spins on the accomplishments of the 111th Congress, it was a disaster for women-centered, global health and international development. Unfortunately, we expect this is not a good omen of what’s to come in the 112th. By leaving crucial votes to the end of the session, the Congress failed to pass important bills into laws.
FY11 Spending
Global Health programs took a huge financial hit when the Senate failed to pass an omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2011 (FY11). This was due mainly to united Republican opposition focused on earmarks, and that a super-majority of 60 is now needed to pass anything in the Senate to prevent a filibuster. The bill would have increased funding for global health by $442 million.
As a result, the number of people around the world receiving life saving HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care services will be reduced by $91 million and funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria will be reduced by $75 million. The impact on the ground is likely to be worse—the cut to the Global Fund will send a signal to other donors that it is ok to cut their contributions to the Fund.
Instead, the Senate passed another continuing resolution to fund government programs at FY10 levels through March 4, 2011. This gives the incoming Republican-controlled House the opportunity to attempt to further reduce spending. Incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner has indicated that he would like to return to FY08 funding levels.
What does this mean for the Global Fund?
It’s not good news. The incoming Chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), has made very clear that she is not a friend of multi-laterals in general, and the UN in particular. By appointing Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) as chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations she has signaled her intention to seek out waste in foreign affairs spending.
Prevention of Child Marriage
Congress waited until the very end of the legislative session to dedicate time to a bipartisan bill with significant bipartisan support that would greatly advance children’s well-being.
The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 1, 2010, and if the House had followed suit and the bill was signed into law, it would improve the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid by integrating child marriage prevention strategies into current U.S. foreign policy and development programs. Sixty million girls in the global south are married—some as young as 8 years old, and unable to benefit from basic education and health assistance.
We thought the fight was to get Floor time in the House at the end of the Session. Instead, once time was made for the bill – the House Republican leadership decided to kill it. Right before the vote, the GOP leadership announced that they intended to vote no on the bill; incoming House Foreign Affairs chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) appealed to concerns over the deficit and abortion – despite the fact that the arguments are false. The bill does not authorize new funding, and the bill does not contain funds that could be used to promote abortion nor change U.S. law with respect to abortion.
Representative Stephen LaTourrette (R-OH), a co-sponsor of the bill, publicly criticized the Republican leadership’s decision to use the abortion issue as a tactic to kill the bill. The day after the bill was defeated he said:
Yesterday I was on the floor and I was a co-sponsor with [on] a piece of legislation with [Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)] that would have moved money, no new money, would have moved money so that societies that are coercing young girls into marriage... we could make sure that they stay in school so they're not forced into marriage at the age of 12 and 13. All of a sudden there was a fiscal argument. When that didn't work people had to add an abortion element to it. This is a partisan place. I'm a Republican. I'm glad we beat their butt in the election, but there comes a time when enough is enough.
The roadblocks used by the Republican leadership to defeat an uncontroversial bill with bipartisan support underscores the uphill battles to come on any legislation addressing foreign assistance and the needs of women and girls in the next Congress.
IVAWA
The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) was introduced in both the House and the Senate in February 2010. While there was bipartisan support for the bill initially, issues related to funding the bill, and abortion, eventually caused a party-line divide with the relatively few Republican supporters. Sen. Kerry (D-MA) marked up IVAWA in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December 2010—during the last weeks of the congressional session—but no further action was taken.
IVAWA addresses international violence against women and girls through a multisectoral lens—linking the response to violence with other foreign assistance programs, such as development assistance, humanitarian aid, global health, and peacekeeping. This coordinated response addresses socio-cultural and gender norms, the legal environment, the integration of violence prevention and response with health services, and the provision of safe educational spaces for both girls and boys. IVAWA also allows for civil-society capacity building and program implementation by indigenous groups, which helps strengthen community ownership and enhance sustainability, and ensures that programs are tailored to meet local needs and priorities.
112th Congress
Looking forward to the 112th Congress, it is clear that we will need strong allies on both sides of the aisle. When PEPFAR I was enacted into law in 2003, there was a very different Congress in office. *
* Of the 435 current Members of the House of Representatives, only 225 were in office in 2003. .
* Of the 49 members of the House Committee on International Relations in 2003, only 18 currently serve on that Committee.
* Of the 100 members of the Senate in 2003, only 52 remain in office.
* Of the 19 Senators on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in 2003, only 3 are serving in the 112th Congress.
* Thanks to Amb. Mark Green of the Malaria Policy Institute for this data.
Although there may be many positive spins on the accomplishments of the 111th Congress, it was a disaster for women-centered, global health and international development. Unfortunately, we expect this is not a good omen of what’s to come in the 112th. By leaving crucial votes to the end of the session, the Congress failed to pass important bills into laws.
FY11 Spending
Global Health programs took a huge financial hit when the Senate failed to pass an omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2011 (FY11). This was due mainly to united Republican opposition focused on earmarks, and that a super-majority of 60 is now needed to pass anything in the Senate to prevent a filibuster. The bill would have increased funding for global health by $442 million.
As a result, the number of people around the world receiving life saving HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care services will be reduced by $91 million and funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria will be reduced by $75 million. The impact on the ground is likely to be worse—the cut to the Global Fund will send a signal to other donors that it is ok to cut their contributions to the Fund.
Instead, the Senate passed another continuing resolution to fund government programs at FY10 levels through March 4, 2011. This gives the incoming Republican-controlled House the opportunity to attempt to further reduce spending. Incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner has indicated that he would like to return to FY08 funding levels.
What does this mean for the Global Fund?
It’s not good news. The incoming Chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), has made very clear that she is not a friend of multi-laterals in general, and the UN in particular. By appointing Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) as chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations she has signaled her intention to seek out waste in foreign affairs spending.
Prevention of Child Marriage
Congress waited until the very end of the legislative session to dedicate time to a bipartisan bill with significant bipartisan support that would greatly advance children’s well-being.
The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 1, 2010, and if the House had followed suit and the bill was signed into law, it would improve the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid by integrating child marriage prevention strategies into current U.S. foreign policy and development programs. Sixty million girls in the global south are married—some as young as 8 years old, and unable to benefit from basic education and health assistance.
We thought the fight was to get Floor time in the House at the end of the Session. Instead, once time was made for the bill – the House Republican leadership decided to kill it. Right before the vote, the GOP leadership announced that they intended to vote no on the bill; incoming House Foreign Affairs chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) appealed to concerns over the deficit and abortion – despite the fact that the arguments are false. The bill does not authorize new funding, and the bill does not contain funds that could be used to promote abortion nor change U.S. law with respect to abortion.
Representative Stephen LaTourrette (R-OH), a co-sponsor of the bill, publicly criticized the Republican leadership’s decision to use the abortion issue as a tactic to kill the bill. The day after the bill was defeated he said:
Yesterday I was on the floor and I was a co-sponsor with [on] a piece of legislation with [Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)] that would have moved money, no new money, would have moved money so that societies that are coercing young girls into marriage... we could make sure that they stay in school so they're not forced into marriage at the age of 12 and 13. All of a sudden there was a fiscal argument. When that didn't work people had to add an abortion element to it. This is a partisan place. I'm a Republican. I'm glad we beat their butt in the election, but there comes a time when enough is enough.
The roadblocks used by the Republican leadership to defeat an uncontroversial bill with bipartisan support underscores the uphill battles to come on any legislation addressing foreign assistance and the needs of women and girls in the next Congress.
IVAWA
The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) was introduced in both the House and the Senate in February 2010. While there was bipartisan support for the bill initially, issues related to funding the bill, and abortion, eventually caused a party-line divide with the relatively few Republican supporters. Sen. Kerry (D-MA) marked up IVAWA in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December 2010—during the last weeks of the congressional session—but no further action was taken.
IVAWA addresses international violence against women and girls through a multisectoral lens—linking the response to violence with other foreign assistance programs, such as development assistance, humanitarian aid, global health, and peacekeeping. This coordinated response addresses socio-cultural and gender norms, the legal environment, the integration of violence prevention and response with health services, and the provision of safe educational spaces for both girls and boys. IVAWA also allows for civil-society capacity building and program implementation by indigenous groups, which helps strengthen community ownership and enhance sustainability, and ensures that programs are tailored to meet local needs and priorities.
112th Congress
Looking forward to the 112th Congress, it is clear that we will need strong allies on both sides of the aisle. When PEPFAR I was enacted into law in 2003, there was a very different Congress in office. *
* Of the 435 current Members of the House of Representatives, only 225 were in office in 2003. .
* Of the 49 members of the House Committee on International Relations in 2003, only 18 currently serve on that Committee.
* Of the 100 members of the Senate in 2003, only 52 remain in office.
* Of the 19 Senators on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in 2003, only 3 are serving in the 112th Congress.
* Thanks to Amb. Mark Green of the Malaria Policy Institute for this data.
The Global AIDS Alliance gives President Obama a mediocre ‘C’ grade on World AIDS Day for his 2010 response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. That’s an improvement over his D+ mark last year, but far short of superior grades issued to President George W. Bush.
“President Obama did take praiseworthy actions in the fight against HIV/AIDS in 2010,” says Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of GAA. “What is missing is the bold audacity with which President Obama has embraced other issues.”
Zeitz specifically cites as a positive but cautious step Obama’s 3-year funding pledge in October to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It represented the U.S.’ first multi-year commitment, which will help sustain programs and aid the commitments of other nations that budget on a multi-year basis.
But the size of the U.S. pledge – $4 billion over 3 years – does not come close to meeting the $6 billion U.S. fair share. This contributed to the low level of pledges $5.3 billion below maintenance levels, forcing the Global Fund to scale-back its programs, rather than scale-up or maintain treatment levels. This will leave 3 million HIV-infected people without anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and 500,000 babies vulnerable to transmission from their mothers.
Domestically, the same pattern emerged: strong policies with inadequate funding. President Obama introduced the watershed National HIV/AIDS Strategy – a collaborative roadmap for policymakers and private groups to reduce HIV infections, bolster treatment and decrease HIV-related health disparities. But the Administration has severely underfunded AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) for the poor, with more than 2,500 people now on waiting lists for medication.
This funding shortfall is particularly disturbing in light of last week’s release of the UNAIDS 2010 Global AIDS Epidemic Report, which indicates the number of new infections declined globally to 2.6 million. However, 33.3 million people remain infected with HIV, with 1.8 million people dying of AIDS-related complications each year because just 35% of those who need ART receive it.
Yet President Obama – who promised to spend $1 billion per year on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief – added only $155 million in his FY2011 request for PEPFAR, instead shifting funds to his own Global Health Initiative (GHI). As a result, the Administration’s newly released operational plan for PEPFAR includes funding cuts for 21 of 34 countries. This includes reductions in nearly every program, including $56 million from adult treatment services, $34 million from the ART budget and $13 million from counseling and testing. It includes a $135 million increase to fund management and operations.
President Bush, by contrast, launched PEPFAR and made the United States the first donor to the Global Fund. President Bush and Congress increased funding to PEPFAR every year, providing ART to approximately 2.4 million people in 30 countries. In his new memoir, Bush writes that he hoped PEPFAR “would serve as a medical version of the Marshall Plan.”
“Before us is a paradox,” Zeitz warns. “The world – and the United States in particular – has demonstrated significant progress in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS. But now, severe funding cutbacks threaten such progress, including a virtual flat-line of U.S. funding. America made a promise to be at the forefront in treating and curing HIV/AIDS. Our integrity is at stake.”
For President Obama to improve his HIV/AIDS report card in 2011, he must fulfill U.S. promises to fully fund PEPFAR and the Global Fund, Zeitz emphasizes, and this will require him to build bipartisan support for PEPFAR, the Global Fund and GHI. Meantime, President Obama also must hold fast during the next Congress to one of his key AIDS successes: Lifting PEPFAR’s most onerous restrictions, such as a Bush Administration focus on abstinence education and banning syringe exchange.
Bold action by President Obama – like the Pope’s decision last week on the value of condoms in preventing transmission of HIV – is critical well ahead of the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., when the presidential election cycle will be in full swing. “President Obama needs to show now that American policies are empathetic, smart and transcendent – not cold, stingy and small-minded,” Zeitz says.
Susana Oguntoye
Advocacy Impact Officer, CEPA
Tanzania's ruling party, the CCM and the incumbent Jakaya Kikwete have successfully bid for another five-year presidential term. The post-election momentum has generated some new movement amongst key ministry officials (Kikwete has chosen a new cabinet), but otherwise it is business as usual. What remains salient for us in the HIV/AIDS arena is that fixed dose combinations, particularly for children, are in short supply and not available on the ground. Having arrived the eve of the elections, I took time to absorb the political mood and environment. Now although I know the election has changed some things, in fact, it remains of paramount importance, now, more than ever, to keep highlighting the problems that have stayed the same, pre or post election.
After a day long discussion yesterday with the CEPA team here in Dar Es Salaam, led by the Human Development Trust (HDT); one thing has lingered in my mind: The rationale I was given for prioritizing the procurement of fixed dose combination drugs (FDCs) was a visual of a mother trudging home with the box of bottled drugs in plain sight (she has to have multiple months worth of bottles - 3 of each medication) to supply her for some time; thinking of how to persuade her toddler (and we all know how little ones get when offered a spoon of medicine), not once, not twice, but three times, to take the medicines, sometimes more than once a day. Imagine doing that day in, day out, after a long day, a short day, any day, every day. If only she had just one bottle, not only would he load be lighter, but her child would be happier, and there would be less questions from inquisitive neighbors about the child crying, the mother carrying, and the stigma rising, rearing its head in the background.
Someone mentioned the government of Tanzania had confirmed there were FDCs available, but at hospitals and primary care facilities, they are not to be found. So what is the truth, are there drugs or no drugs? And if there are none, what needs to be done to ensure FDCs get to the mother and her child as soon as possible, not next week or next year, but now.
The Pope’s statement that the use of condoms are justified “in the intention of reducing the risk of HIV infection” is a startling and welcome shift by the Vatican that has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives, says Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance (GAA).
“The Pope has created the possibility of rapid change in the way the Catholic Church views HIV/AIDS and how it can preserve the sanctity of human life,” says Dr. Zeitz, adding that GAA stands firmly for sexual and reproductive rights. “The Pope has provided a glimmer of hope that we actually can begin the process of ending the AIDS epidemic rather than believe it is enough to maintain the sick and dying. It never will be.”
The Pope’s statement is particularly important ahead of the release of the U.N. Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic and the annual marking of the pandemic on World AIDS Day next week. There currently are 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS, which has claimed the lives of 25 million people overall, with more than 7,000 new infections each day.
Reducing infections is impossible without significant advances in prevention, for which condom use is among the most important, Dr. Zeitz emphasizes. Unfortunately, the Pope focuses on the use of condoms by male prostitutes, and he sadly rejects the idea that condoms are a “real or moral solution.” But he does underline that reducing infection is a “more humane way” of living sexually “in this or that case.”
The Pope also did not address the critical issue of discordant couples, where only one person is HIV-positive and thus risks infecting a partner when a condom is not used. But his statement is a surprising departure, even as the church now says it is not a revolutionary shift. Last year, Pope Benedict XI nonsensically posited that condom use “increases the problem” because he inaccurately said it leads to risky behavior. And his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, insisted that sexual abstinence, not condoms, is the best way to prevent spread of HIV/AIDS.
But the Pope’s statement – made in a book-long interview – provides an opening for Catholics involved in HIV/AIDS services, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where vast numbers of people rely heavily on the Church’s services. Catholic aid organizations account for a quarter of AIDS programs in sub-Saharan Africa.
HIV/AIDS also has ravaged African farms, where the number of workers has plummeted, leading to fallow crops, poverty and famine. The earth’s sustainability therefore also is strongly tied to HIV/AIDS prevention, which includes the use of condoms.
“This is the critical new voice in our effort to ensure zero new HIV infections,” Dr. Zeitz underlines. “The Pope can help amplify the ‘prevention revolution’ on which GAA is working in concert with UNAIDS.”
Is it possible that we soon will look back on the presidency of George W. Bush as the pinnacle of U.S. government efforts to eradicate global HIV/AIDS?
With the release this month of President Bush's memoir, and the full throttle assault on government spending voiced by the Tea Party and the members of Congress it helped elect, I have been reflecting on this question.
Whose policies do you prefer? Those of President Bush, who launched PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and was the first donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria? Or those of President Obama, whose decisions on global health have come under scrutiny from all quarters, including the left flank of his party but who has taken a critical, positive stand for evidence-based prevention?
Ironically, PEPFAR - and thus, President Bush - may save President Obama's presidency. I'll explain why in a moment. But first, consider that since being launched in 2003, PEPFAR has provided antiretroviral therapy for approximately 2.4 million people in 30 countries, and has helped provide prevention and care services for millions more.
It quickly became the largest bilateral HIV/AIDS program in the world. As conceived, the program had its flaws, including a focus on prescribing abstinence at the expense of comprehensive sexuality education, as well as a ban on syringe exchange and a requirement that organizations that receive U.S. funds sign an anti-prostitution pledge.
However, millions of people received much needed services, treatment and care, and they thrived as PEPFAR's funding was consistently increased every year under President Bush and Congressional leadership. In terms of funding the fight against HIV/AIDS, President Bush exceeded all expectations. In his book, Bush writes that he hoped it "would serve as a medical version of the Marshall Plan."
President Obama has made other choices, in particular shifting funds from PEPFAR to his own Global Health Initiative (GHI). For instance, he has added only $155 million in his FY2011 request for PEPFAR - well below the $1 billion per year in additional life saving spending he promised on the campaign trail.
It is important to note that President Obama did lift some of PEPFAR's onerous restrictions, thus expanding those receiving evidence-based prevention services. He has made other positive choices, as well - such as making the United States' first multi-year pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which, while too low a dollar amount, sets the stage for future increases to this effective multilateral partner.
In any case, political realities changed this month. With newly elected Republicans demanding large cuts in funding overall, will President Obama gut PEPFAR and the Global Fund? Or is global HIV/AIDS an area for common ground - a highly successful Republican-built program that a Democratic president can protect?
My hope is that the new Republican House leadership views PEPFAR as a critical program that needs to be preserved and even expanded, and sees the Global Fund as essential to the success of the GHI. My hope is that evidence-based prevention remains a core tenet of U.S. policy. While the U.S. deficit must be addressed, it should not be on the backs of the sick and vulnerable.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a humanitarian catastrophe with implications far beyond global health. It leads to poverty, malnutrition and the breakdown of families and communities. We have seen failed states in Africa that beget extraordinary violence and terrorism, which often arises when social structures collapse.
AIDS is an issue that should concern everyone across the political spectrum. Defense Secretary Gates, initially appointed by President Bush and Director of Central Intelligence under George H.W. Bush, repeatedly has underscored that development is a critical component of our national security policy.
In this time of deep political divisions in this country, combating HIV/AIDS is something we all can agree must be a priority. Both parties must reach across the aisle to work for the common good of saving lives.
I look forward to working with the new Congress to protect President Bush's legacy and help President Obama make a difference in the world.
Dr. Paul Zeitz is executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance.
This fall, 37.9 million kids in the US went back to elementary school for the year. These kids are being taught the basics – reading writing and arithmetic. These are the educational building blocks that are essential for surviving in the world today. 72 million children in the world will not receive these necessary skills.
Do you believe all children in the world deserve these educational building blocks?
While children in the US have started another year of school, 72 million children around the world do not have access to a basic education. 72 million children are starting life so far behind the rest of us – it seems as if they will never catch up. In their lifetime, these kids are looking at an increased chance of HIV infection, malnutrition and the higher likelihood that their own children won’t live beyond 5 years.
Will you write a letter to the editor telling them we can’t ignore this problem?
Educating children around the world benefits us all. A quality basic education is one of the most effective investments the world can make to promote development and foster long-term security. HIV/AIDS infection rates are halved among young people who finish primary school and women’s education is one of the best strategies for reducing child malnutrition around the world. We have the tools to accomplish this. We just need the will.
Will you help educate your community about basic education around the world?
HIV/AIDS Treatment for Millions to be Decided by Congress
The Obama Administration’s expected $4 billion, 3-year pledge tomorrow to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria would leave global health at a perilous crossroads: The pledge represents a modest increase, but one that would leave millions of sick and vulnerable people without prevention and treatment services, warns the Global AIDS Alliance.
However, the U.S. pledge for 2011-2013, at the United Nations tomorrow, should be increased by Congress. There are two avenues:
The Administration previously proposed to Congress a decrease in Global Fund spending to $1 billion for FY2011, from $1.05 billion approved in FY2010. “Now, the Obama Administration is offering a cautious course correction,” says Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. “But the pledge itself is small-minded. It is insufficient based on projected needs and fails to leverage the commitments of other nations.”
By contrast, President Bush used the U.S. pledge to double or triple contributions from other countries, Zeitz says. Under U.S. law, the American pledge must be no more than one-third of the total Global Fund contribution. As a result, the U.S. has been able to leverage $2 for every $1 it donates. This has helped nurture the Global Fund into the most effective international organization in facilitating the U.N.’s health-related Millennium Development Goals. This has helped slash new HIV infections by 17% and saved up to 6 million lives.
“Just when the world recommitted two weeks ago to meeting the Millennium Development Goals – where President Obama outlined a bold global development initiative – the Administration is off track on the Global Fund,” Zeitz says “But Congress still has a chance review the Administration’s approach and increase U.S. funding,” Zeitz says. “We recognize this is a time of economic austerity, which has affected the Administration’s pledge. But millions of lives and a generation of progress hang in the balance.”
Position Summary:
The Executive Assistant provides administrative and programmatic support to GAA's Executive Director. The successful candidate will demonstrate outstanding organizational and interpersonal skills, strong research and writing abilities, and a flexible work style. The position is part-time (20 hours per week), and is located in Washington, D.C.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Salary and Benefits:
Competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience. EOE M/F/D/V
How to Apply:
Qualified candidates should send a current resume and a one-page cover letter via email to jobopenings@globalaidsalliance.org or via fax to 202-789-0715. No calls, please.
President Obama missed a significant opportunity to reinvigorate past U.S. leadership on global AIDS today in his speech to the Millennium Development Goals Summit, where he outlined a vague American strategy to be “more selective” in its global development efforts and to engage with multilaterals – but failed to provide any specifics or funding commitments.
“These are hollow promises so long as there are no financial commitments attached to them,” says Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. “President Obama told the U.N. that ‘the old ways will not suffice,’ but then proceeded to walk the down same path of feel good rhetoric.”
However, the U.S. has yet to make its financial pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for its Third Voluntary Replenishment. To follow-through on his commitment in the speech to support programs that work, President Obama must announce a robust $6 billion three-year pledge to the Global Fund. That amount is the U.S. fair share contribution to the Fundand would help leverage funding from other countries as well as reinstall a sense of confidence in the U.S. commitment to global HIV/AIDS.
“Let’s move beyond the old, narrow debate over how much money we’re spending and let’s instead focus on results,” Obama emphasized, adding that the U.S. is “strengthening our commitment to the Global Fund” but without saying by how much.
The Global Fund has proven to be the most effective multilateral organization in helping reach the U.N.’s health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which Obama praised in his speech. The Global Fund has helped slash new HIV infections by 17% and saved up to 6 million lives. The Global Fund also supports a range of maternal and child health interventions and is poised to expand its work in these areas – if it has sufficient resources – making it a core partner to Obama’s Global Health Initiative as well as to PEPFAR.
The president expressed concern that the global community is not moving quickly enough on the MDGs, yet he failed to position the Global Fund as core to these efforts or to emphasize the importance of continuing to advance lifesaving HIV treatment and prevention activities that are integrally linked to all U.S. government global health and development objectives.
Obama stated that the U.S. only would invest in “programs that work” with the “best partners.” The quickest, most effective way to meet the President’s stated goals is for the U.S. to meet its fair share commitment of $6 billion over 3 years.
“President Obama said today that the U.S. is changing the way it does business,” Zeitz says. “But a feel good, do nothing approach is no way to assert American leadership—it’s just business as usual. The president said that no one government can do it alone. The Global Fund has proven to be its best partner on HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health. We anxiously await his pledge to it.”
This entry also appears in the Huffington Post at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-paul-zeitz/time-for-world-leaders-an_b_720074.html
I witnessed an inspirational sight last week in Johannesburg: A committed group of Africans from seven nations demanded – in the strongest terms possible – that their governments take action to end pediatric HIV/AIDS and fulfill their longstanding pledges.
These were not everyday citizens. The group – members of the Leadership Council of the Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS (CEPA) – includes prominent activist Graça Machel, as well as a former deputy national director of health for Mozambique and prominent doctors and researchers.
Just the site of these lay leaders taking a stand with their governments was extraordinary.
Would you take such a stand? You can next week. That’s when global leaders will arrive in New York to attend the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals Summit. We need those national leaders to take action and to take a stand like the one taken by members of the CEPA Leadership Council.
Here’s how you can make a difference. Over the next week, there will multiple events in several cities. In my home of Washington, D.C., for instance, there will be a rally on Friday in Farragut Square Park, near the White House, to “Stand Up” for the MDGs. Something similar is happening on Sunday in New York at Lincoln Center Plaza from Noon-4 p.m. The Global AIDS Alliance will be manning the MDG #6 booth, and I hope you will stop by to show your support.
You may be wondering what the MDG Summit is all about. Ten years ago, the entire membership of the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration: A commitment to end extreme poverty worldwide by 2015. This declaration established eight goals – the “MDGs” – each of which includes specific targets and indicators for measuring progress.
The sixth goal specifically addresses the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but all of the MDGs play an important role in halting and reversing the spread of this disease, which undermines progress toward the MDGs collectively.
It is now the eve of the 2010 MDG Summit. After a decade of working toward these goals, we are dangerously close to failing. There has been massive underfunding of supportive programs such as the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has translated into lives lost and opportunities wasted.
It is time for world leaders to move from talk to action. We need them to commit their fair share of financial resources to achieve the MDGs. And in the case of the United States, that means a pledge of $6 billion over three years to the Global Fund, which is an international financing institution designed to help meet MDG #6.
Yes, there is an economic crisis. That’s what makes this pledge even more important now. We have seen time and again that every country, every crisis is interconnected. For instance, poverty and disease are inextricably linked, and this is especially true in the case of HIV/AIDS. Currently, more than 95% of all people with HIV/AIDS live in developing countries. People who are poor or lack education are often forced to make survival choices that put them at increased risk of HIV infection.
Conversely, the spread of HIV also increases the threat of poverty. At the household level, families face a loss of income as wage-earners become ill, and many are forced to sell assets to pay for HIV/AIDS medications and other health services, as well as funeral expenses. At the community level, the HIV/AIDS epidemic places additional strain on already over-burdened health care systems. Schools become dysfunctional as they lose their teachers and students to illness and death. And farmers become too sick to work, exacerbating food shortages.
Quite simply, eliminating extreme poverty will make people less vulnerable to HIV, and slowing the spread of HIV will help reduce poverty.
It is imperative that President Obama and other world leaders follow through on their promises when they attend the MDG Summit next week. It is imperative that they stand up, as did members of the CEPA Leadership Council, and as I hope you are able to do, too.
A 3-year pledge of $6 billion by the United States to the Global Fund would mean the difference between life and death for millions of people.
Dr. Paul Zeitz is executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance
The Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) supports swift passage of the Education for All Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate today by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). The Act would help achieve universal basic education for all children worldwide by 2015 by assisting the creation of a Global Fund for Education.
President Obama during his election campaign committed to establish such a fund with $2 billion in U.S. support. But under U.S. law, all funding must be made through bilateral – country-to-country – channels. Sen. Gillibrand’s bill would allow the U.S. to support multilateral international education initiatives, such as a Global Fund for Education.
“Senator Gillibrand’s leadership is critical in helping children worldwide gain access to, and complete, a quality basic education,” says Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of GAA. “That, in turn, is a key and highly cost-effective tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”
Here’s why: Girls who are in school gain stronger life skills and more confidence to delay marriage and sexual activity. In fact, HIV/AIDS infection rates are halved among people who finish primary school. This could prevent 700,000 additional cases of HIV each year. Yet 72 million children remain out of school.
Sen. Gillibrand’s bill calls for assistance to expand access to school, improve educational quality, reach marginalized and vulnerable children, and build country ownership and capacity to create and implement their national education plans. It also urges the U.S. to support initiatives such as the Global Fund for Education.
The bill also would support achievement of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, as agreed upon by 192 nations, and it has been introduced ahead of next week’s U.N. MDG Summit to discuss progress toward those goals. Sen. Gillibrand’s bill is nearly identical to bipartisan legislation introduced in the House by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) in April.
“We can no longer step lightly around this shame,” The Most Rev. Desmond Tutu, Honorary Chair of the Global AIDS Alliance, wrote in The Huffington Post last spring when the House bill was introduced. “It is our moral obligation to give every child the very best education possible.”
GAA is a founding member of the U.S. Chapter of the Global Campaign for Education, and it is committed to creation of a Global Fund for Education.
The appointment this week of Michelle Bachelet as the first Under-Secretary-General of U.N. Women is a bold and welcome choice. But her success will lean heavily on how well the new agency is funded, particularly by the U.S. government, says Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance.
“Dr. Bachelet is a proven leader and fearless advocate for women,” Zeitz says. “This is critical at a time when major HIV/AIDS donors and agencies are finally prioritizing violence against women and girls as a core element of the fight against global AIDS. We need a U.N. agency that will lead the world on this and other fights core to women’s equality, but that requires committed funding. It is not clear yet whether that will be the case for U.N. Women.”
Bachelet, a pediatrician and epidemiologist, is a former president of Chile who stood firm on a variety of controversial issues. Her first cabinet was a model in gender equity, consisting of equal numbers of men and women. Her government also legalized alimony payments and tripled the number of free, early childcare centers for low-income families. As health minister, she reportedly approved free distribution of the morning-after pill for survivors of sexual abuse.
“It is imperative that Dr. Bachelet use her political clout with world leaders and within the United Nations to ensure that U.N. Women is fully funded,” Zeitz says, noting the significance of selecting a woman from a non-Western nation. “Her commitment to women’s empowerment and gender equity is unquestioned. Her ability to advance these causes heavily depends on U.S. funding.”
U.N. Women received an initial $500 million budget when it was created in July with the consolidation of four entities. But this is based on voluntary contributions. The U.S. fair share to get the agency up and running is $167 million. U.N. Women becomes operational in January, when more funding will be needed.
The future of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is under threat, and we need your help to protect its unique contribution to global health.
If the U.S. does not make a multi-year commitment by the end of this month, millions of live
s around the world will be lost. It is critical that Secretary of State Clinton and President Obama provide the U.S. fair share contribution to the Global Fund: $6 billion over the next three years.
Will you ask Secretary of State Clinton to ensure the Global Fund's future funding?
That fair share will provide another 1.5 million people with the chance to get lifesaving medicines and another million more orphans and vulnerable children with proper care and support. In fact, the only way to accomplish these things is for the U.S. to make its fair share multi-year pledge.
Write Secretary Clinton today and ask her to fill the Fund.
It is time for the U.S. to step up. For every $1 the U.S. contributes, other countries contribute $2. This makes a significant multi-year pledge from the U.S. even more important for leveraging other countries to fully fund the Global Fund for the next three years.
The Global Fund has saved nearly 6 million lives since 2002. It has provided 2.8 million people with life saving anti-retroviral medication, including 790,000 HIV-positive pregnant women. It has distributed 128 million malaria bed nets. And it has detected and treated 7 million new cases of TB. These are remarkable accomplishments for an organization whose funding is never guaranteed.
Don't you want to live in a world where this is possible?
PS-- After you have written Secretary Clinton, join our friends at RESULTS and ONE and tweet this action: 
Tapiwanashe Kujinga
CEPA Partner, PATAM
The conference is slowly winding down, and the energy among the delegates is visibly sapped. I have been here attending the conference for 4 days and another 2 days in a pre-conference symposium, so I am about knackered.
Today we held a PATAM meeting to discuss the future direction of the movement. There have been a number of calls during the conference for the movement to take a more decisive role on the continent. I will compile the minutes and send them out later.
I have attended a number of interesting sessions. One cohort study found that 47% of partners in a sero-discordant relationship were women. This is quite startling especially given the fact that men are usually conceived as the drivers of the epidemin, especially in heterosexual settings. This study is likely to have a fundamental impact on social marketing that, hitherto, has largely targeted men.
The drive for a cure for HIV has been narrowed to focus on latent HIV reservoirs. Even with effective HAART and undetectable viral load, HIV can still persist by latently occurring in parts of the body where ARVs have low rates of penetration. The testes, for instance, can have up to 30% virus levels even viral load is undetectable. Therapies to penetrate and destroy HIV within these latent reservoirs will give us an answer to the cure.
A number of sessions focused on MSM, injecting drug use, commercial sex work, law & HIV and prevention.
As expected in such a large gathering, surprises never end. I was delivering some PATAM magazines to the Women's Networking Zone and found myself ducking under a line of women's underwear (bras, panties, G-strings etc) strung around the booth. The attendant informed me that these were surrendered by some women attending the conference in order to draw some attention to the booth.
"Thats what brought you here, isn't it?", she asked me.
"No, I'm actually here to leave these magazines".
Despite my evident haste to leave for a session, she detained me for a few minutes longer extolling the benefits of decriminalising sex work.
The TB demonstration was complete with an African drum, and I felt closer to home. The rhythm was distinctly Southern Africa.
The numerous stands in the Exhibition Hall and Global Village are laden with materials - books, magazines, CDs, posters, flash drives and other freebies. You can take all you want as long as you dont exceed your weight limitation on the place. I have duly taken all that caught my fancy (including hand sanitisers), and will deal with Lufthansa when I get to the airport.
Tapiwanashe Kujinga
CEPA Partner, PATAM
The dilemma that faces the conference-goer at IAC is which session to attend given the vast choices that are offered. At times, there are 3 interesting sessions running simultaneously and another two events being conducted in the Global Village, and the temptation to clone oneself is very real.
A little bit about the place. Vienna is a historical city and was the seat of the Austrian Empire ruled by the Habsburg monarchy in the 19th century. The empire was a successor to the Holy Roman Empire (that was once described as being neither holy nor Roman nor an empire). This city hums with typical Viennese efficiency, the trains and trams run on time, the subways and streets are clean and there are cultural events everywhere. Thus far, the conference has run without a hitch. One resident was unaware of the International AIDS Conference, and it is amazing that 20,000 people can descend on a city with nary a notice from the locals.
The conference itself is being held at the Reed Messe Wien Conference centre, a huge complex near the Messe Prater subway station. It has lots of meeting rooms, both large and small, and there are lots of restaurants and ample sitting space. Whilst we still have to take long walks to get from one session room to another, the venue is a far cry from Toronto where delegates toiled from the North Tower to the South Tower and back, leaving many gasping for breath.
The demonstrations by activists continue. The EU stand was taken over by protesters angry with the seizure of generic drugs by the bloc. I also saw another demonstration calling for the decriminilisation of sex work. In my country (Zimbabwe), if this type of protest is not stopped by the Police, the protesters are assured of a lynching by the public. Such events are always makes one think of the differences in attitudes and opinions amongst populations.
In the main hallway is this siren clad in a micro-skirt surrounded by condoms of all types, colours and flavours (I heard her mention 'mint'). She is always at her post of duty, demonstrating the use of female condoms using props and answering questions from the passing delegates. Of course, the stand has become vastly popular with its endless supply of T-shirts with the word 'CONDOMISE' boldly printed at he back, as well as its ample supply of condoms, including those of the exotic type. Almost everytime there are delegates shoving huge handfuls of condoms into their bags, and I have a sneaking suspicion that extra-conference activities are seriously competing with the serious business of the event.
Today is another full day, the plenary starts in an hour's time. After that comes the agonising choices of sessions.
Lisa Schechtman
Policy Director, GAA
One thing that always strikes me about the International AIDS Conference is how authentic people seem to be here. Lesbian, gay, transgender, HIV positive, HIV negative, drug user, sex worker, activist, bleeding heart—people are who they are, and everyone mingles together and thinks nothing of the things that make us different. Instead we are all here as one, for one reason, and those things that make us different are what pulls us together. There is more activism at this conference than in Toronto or Mexico City. I don’t know if that’s because the world has changed for the worse, or if it’s because things have been getting better and dashed hope is one of the hardest things in the world to deal with. But there is anger here this week, productive anger, as if we’ve finally reached our limits and we can’t be nice any longer. But even the protests are respectful and heartfelt—perhaps not “nice,” per se, but not mean, either.
I think I will never forget marching to the opening ceremony with friends who are living with HIV and hearing them chant: “Keep your promises. WE WANT TO LIVE!” That “we want to live” will keep me motivated, and remind me how much I want these friends to live, too, and the inspiration and motivation they give me to continue fighting for the universal human right to a safe, healthy and happy life that allows for choice and power. The theme of this year’s IAC is human rights, and I couldn’t find that more appropriate. It is the thing that makes it ok for us to be all those things that make us our unique selves and to still be able to come together and call for universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, children born without HIV, universal access to quality education, an end to violence against women and girls, and comprehensive, affordable, accessible high-quality health care to address any and all health needs we have. We are all human, more the same than different. I think that’s the idea behind the “free hugs” crew here, too; they stand around the conference center with signs reading, you guessed it, “free hugs,” and when you accept their offer the hug you receive shows you that they really mean it. It is a tight, warm embrace, from one human being to another. They don’t ask if you are HIV positive, a sex worker or drug user, activist or government official. They just give hugs. From one person to another. The solidarity is astounding.
Tapiwanashe Kujinga
CEPA Partner, PATAM
Day 2 of IAC was a mixture of the good news, bad news and same old speeches, rhetoric and gobbledegook.
For the first time as I can remember at any IAC, a single presentation was oversubscribed with people packing the room to over capacity and spilling out to adjoining venues. The good news of the microbicide developed in South Africa triggered unprecedented applause, you could tell that this is what people want to hear in these conferences and not depressing news on funding cuts. The microbicide reduces the risk of HIV infection by 39%, and up to a maximum of 54% and provides a window of opportunity for further preventive tools.
There was bad news, however. A couple of presentations from Anand Grover and Vuyiseka Dubula highlighted the emerging dangers posed by the so-called free trade agreements between the North and developing countries, as well as the Anti-Counterfeit legislation being proposed in a number of African countries. The effect of the agreements and legislation will be to outlaw generic medicines. Africa and the bulk of the developing world depends on generic drugs, mostly from India, for treatment, and outlawing them will bring us back to the era when ART was for the uber-rich, and not for the masses. If there is anything that African activists ought to rally against, this is it.
On another note, the demonstrations have become a daily feature of the conference, and Eric Goodby, the PEPFAR czar, has borne the brunt. Bill Clinton felt that he deserves a Purple Heart for showing up. The Purple Heart is some decoration for brave military exploits. There is a lot of anger against the decision by the US to flatline PEPFAR and its contribution to the Global Fund. Eric Goosby, however, drew some applause when he announced that US funds can now be used for drug substitution therapy.
Carol Bergman
Deputy Executive Director, GAA
What a beautiful city Vienna is; I just hope I have a little time to explore it while I'm here. When I see road signs to Prague, and the commuter boat on the Danube to Bratislava, I am reminded again of how closely people in this part of the world live to their neighbors in other countries.
One of the best parts of the IAC is running into people -- old friends and colleagues of course. But one of the things I really like is being able to spend time with folks from Washington with whom I work very closely but almost never see. We do so much these days on email and conference calls, and never seem to find the time to actually sit down together. Here - in one place - there is time to have coffee and really talk with colleagues. Though we may be pulled in lots of different directions here, none of us is rushing back to the office.
I also like having the time to get to know our staff in a different way. I rarely take the time to sit and talk over a meal in DC , and learn about the lives my colleagues have outside of work. Having the opportunity to travel and work together always provides an interesting perspective that I welcome.
July 2010 * Vienna, Austria
The fight to end the global scourge of HIV/AIDS must include a commitment to end violence. As with HIV/AIDS, violence is a human rights catastrophe.
Women and children who experience sexual violence are significantly more likely to be exposed to and test positive for HIV/AIDS. Boys who witness or experience violence are more likely to engage in behavior that increases the risk of HIV and are more likely to become perpetrators of violence as adults. Violence is both a cause and consequence of HIV/AIDS.
That is why the Global AIDS Alliance is calling on the global community to end violence by Dec. 31, 2015. We ask all stakeholders – individuals, governments, multilaterals and civil society advocates – to take a leadership position by signing the petition below and joining us in these 7 pillars:
Join the fight. Sign the petition. Read the comprehensive report, “Political Breakthrough: Mobilizing Accelerated Action to End Violence Against Women and Girls by 2015.” Without addressing violence, we will fail to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goals by year-end 2015.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 21, 2010
Recent policies and programs on violence against women and girls from three major AIDS donors and normative agencies – UNAIDS, PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria -- are opening up new ways to address global HIV/AIDS. Iconic African musician Yvonne Chaka Chaka called for a massive effort to scale up these comprehensive programs.
“We’ve waited long enough! The time for action is now!” said Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who also serves as the United Nations MDG Envoy for Africa and as an UNICEF Ambassador. “We will fail to reach universal access or achieve the MDGs if we do not eliminate and mitigate the impacts of violence against women and girls.”
Global AIDS Alliance’s new report, Political Breakthrough: Mobilizing Accelerated Action to End Violence Against Women and Girls by 2015, examines important new policies from the three agencies on stopping violence against women and girls. The report highlights the impact these new policies and funding streams are having in addressing HIV/AIDS.
“This political breakthrough provides us a long-awaited beachhead for further action,” said Lisa Schechtman, Policy Director for Global AIDS Alliance. “Donors and normative agencies must continue to show increasing leadership on scaled-up multisectoral violence against women and girls programs, both in context of HIV/AIDS and as a human rights catastrophe in its own right.”
The report highlights progress made, the contributions of civil society, and the importance of political will in tackling violence and HIV/AIDS. It also make recommendations for how PEPFAR, the Global Fund, UNAIDS and global and local civil society must work together to ensure this opportunity is not wasted, but leads to successful, multisectoral and scaled-up lifesaving responses.
Globally, it is estimated that one out of every three women will be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused over the course of her lifetime. At least one in five women will be raped or experience attempted rape. Nearly 50% of all sexual assaults are committed against girls aged 15 years or younger.
Violence against women and girls is a primary barrier to achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. Indeed, without addressing violence against women and girls, the multibillion dollar fight against AIDS is sure to fail.
"Violence takes away the ability of women and girls to protect themselves from HIV and to access critical HIV services,” said Dr. Jantine Jacobi, Team Leader, Women, Girls and Gender Equality, and Director, Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, UNAIDS. ‘Violence robs women and girls of their dignity, affecting generations to come".
“Central to the fight against HIV/AIDS is a fight against violence,” said Ntombekhaya Matsha-Carpterntier, Senior Civil Society Officer for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “As such violence must be dealt with head on through effective programming and effective funding of those programs. The Global Fund as a major finance engine in fighting HIV/AIDS supports this initiative to put an end to violence.”
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For more information, contact Jove Oliver at +1 646-373-4702 or jove.oliver@gmail.com.
Dr. Paul Zeitz
Executive Director, Global AIDS Alliance
As I sat down to write about my experiences on the first day of this year's International AIDS Conference, I realized I couldn't describe it all better than Tapiwanashe Kujinga, one of GAA's CEPA partners, did in the below email:
Dear all
So the International AIDS Conference roared into life today in Vienna.
The opening ceremony held last evening was filled with drama as hundreds of treatment activists demonstrated and disrupted the opening ceremony. The protests were centered around the funding gap and criminilisation of sex work. Apparently, someone witheld the mike, so there was no speech by the activists. Activists were scathing against Obama, accusing him of lying about increasing funding for HIV. "Obama lies, people die." For a man who was swept into the White House on a massive groundswell of popular support, this must rank as his ultimate anticlimax.
In his opening speech, Julio Montaner, the AIDS 2010 Chair, decried the lack of funding for AIDS. "Leaders can find money to bail out their corporate friends", he said, "yet when it comes to global health, their pockets are empty." The last G8 meeting in Canada was a disappointment, he added, and hoped that the next one, to happen in France, will be more concrete in terms of funding pledges. He also stressed that the vertical approach to treatment and prevention should be discarded. "It is no longer treatment and prevention, but treatment as prevention." The May Lancet report has conclusively proved that this is effective.
In the first plenary today, former US President Bill Clinton took a more placatory approach. The cutbacks in funding, he said, were not dictated by a reversal of Obama's policies, but by the global economic meltdown that occurred just before he took office. He felt that Obama never lied, but that the money pledged was reduced in line with the austerity measures taken after the economic crunch.
As is the case with such conferences, today is filled with numerous parallel sessions, poster presentations, side meetings and what not.
We are still waiting to see whether any really good news will come out of this whole kaleidoscope.
Regards
Tapiwa
Vienna -- A global alliance of international organizations, including the heads of UNICEF, UNAIDS and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well as other NGOs including the Pan African Treatment Access Movement, Health GAP, Ugandan Pediatric Association and the Global AIDS Alliance today agreed to take concerted action to eliminate pediatric HIV/AIDS over the next five years, preventing nearly 400,000 children annually from beginning their lives infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
Every day, almost 1,000 babies are infected with HIV and without diagnosis and treatment, half of these babies will not live to see their second birthdays, said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director. If we are committed to saving children's lives, we must be committed to the effective elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV.
Currently, in resource poor settings, over 2 million children less than 15 years of age are living with HIV/AIDS around the world. In 2008, less than half of all pregnant HIV positive women received drugs for prevention of parent-to-newborn transmission. By scaling up this intervention, parent-to-newborn transmission could be reduced to fewer than 5%.
In 2009 I called for the virtual elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV. This is the route to eliminating pediatric AIDS, said Mr. Michel Sidib, UNAIDS Executive Director. In addition, children living with HIV must have a secure future and have full access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.
Many groups are already working intensively on pediatric AIDS. However, it is essential that the international community overcome bottlenecks and ensure that the necessary resources are available to fund the interventions needed to prevent, treat, and care for children with HIV/AIDS.
The Global Fund is committed to improving the quality of programs to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child so that no child is born with HIV by 2015 and so that the health of HIV-positive women is prioritized, says Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. ARV regimens being offered to pregnant women, newborns and families must be optimal and accessible; resources for HIV transmission prevention and pediatric AIDS must be increased and current funding in this area must be used effectively and efficiently. We can reach the goal of an HIV-free generation by 2015, but not unless we continue to invest resources.
A new status report on ending pediatric HIV/AIDS was also released today by the Global AIDS Alliances Campaign to End Pediatric AIDS (CEPA). The report provides evidence of how intensified efforts to reduce pediatric HIV/AIDS globally and in six key countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) are succeeding.
"Children in Africa are living with this debilitating disease and dying needlesslyand this is both a tragedy and an outrage, said Graa Machel, Chairperson of the CEPA Leadership Council. How can we stand back and watch the suffering of our children when we know that the world has the necessary means -- medical, financial, intellectual-- to end the destruction that is pediatric HIV and AIDS?"
The report highlights how, in the past year, a new approach to HIV/AIDS involving local stakeholders in sub-Saharan African countries has accelerated efforts to overcome bottlenecks to going to scale with pediatric HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services. Childrens lives can be saved by reaching 80% coverage of comprehensive programs to prevent parent-to-child transmission (PPTCT+) and provide lifesaving HIV/AIDS medicines to children already HIV infected.
Pediatric HIV/AIDS has been virtually eliminated in the global North. The heads of UNICEF, UNAIDS and the Global Fund agreed to take every necessary action--as a collective joint force--to overcome seven critical bottlenecks blocking progress to end pediatric HIV/AIDS by December 31, 2015: Advancing family centered care and nutrition; accelerating early infant diagnosis & treatment; ensuring access to appropriate medicines and commodities; meeting financial requirements; mobilizing political and programmatic action; overcoming human resources crisis; and overcoming stigma and discrimination.
To date, the Agreement has been signed by Mr. Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF, Mr. Michel Sidib, Executive Director of UNAIDS, and Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, & Malaria, as well as the following global leaders: Mrs. Graa Machel, Chairperson, Leadership Council, Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS (CEPA); Ms. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Global Ambassador, Born HIV Free Campaign; His Excellency, and Mr. Festus G. Mogae, Founder, Champions for an HIV-Free Generation.
The agency heads are also calling on other global leaders to commit to taking this action.
This announcement was made in conjunction with a press conference at the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna. In addition to the heads of UNICEF, UNAIDS, and the Global Fund, the press conference featured Rolake Odetoyinbo, Civil Society Leadership Representative, CEPA Action Team, and Dr. Elly Katabira, President-Elect, International AIDS Society. The next International AIDS Conference will take place in Washington D.C. in July of 2012.
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For more information, contact Jove Oliver at +1 646-373-4702 or jove.oliver@gmail.com or Kate Donovan, UNICEF New York, +43 699 195 405 08 or +1 917 378 2128, kdonovan@unicef.org.
The Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS (CEPA) is committed to the universal goal of ending pediatric HIV/AIDS by Dec. 31, 2015. But we cannot do it alone. Your help is vital to the efforts of CEPA and the Global AIDS Alliance to scale-up prevention and treatment services for an additional 300,000 children worldwide. Zero new pediatric HIV infections means ending parent-to-child transmission permanently.
To help us get there by year-end 2015, we ask all stakeholders -- individuals, governments, multilaterals and civil society advocates -- to take a leadership position by signing the petition below. You are acknowledging that every child is important, and that all children deserve to live free of HIV. You are acknowledging that the time to seize this opportunity is now, and that we will not let bottlenecks hinder progress to end pediatric HIV/AIDS. You are acknowledging the importance of these 7 core objectives:
To join in the commitment to end pediatric HIV/AIDS by year-end 2015 please visit: http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/page/s/CEPAIAC
The Global AIDS Alliance will release a new report in its Zero Tolerance Campaign to address violence against women and girls and HIV/AIDS. The report, Political Breakthrough: Mobilizing Accelerated Action to End Violence Against Women and Girls by 2015, examines important new policies from three major HIV/AIDS donors and normative agencies, PEPFAR, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNAIDS, and analyzes and makes recommendations to enable lifesaving opportunities in a new political environment and addresses gaps left unfilled.
The report will highlight progress made, the contributions of civil society, and the importance of political will in tackling violence and HIV/AIDS. It will also make recommendations for how PEPFAR, the Global Fund, UNAIDS and global and local civil society must work together to ensure this opportunity is not wasted, but leads to successful, multisectoral and scaled-up lifesaving responses. Violence against women and girls is a primary barrier to achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. Indeed, without addressing violence against women and girls, the multibillion dollar fight against AIDS is sure to fail.
WHEN: Tuesday, July 20th at 1 p.m.
WHERE: Press Conference Room 3, International AIDS Conference Media Center
WHO: Yvonne Chaka Chaka, United Nations MDG Envoy for Africa Dr. Sabrina Bakeera-Kitaka, President of the Uganda Pediatric Association
Lisa Schechtman, Policy Director, Global AIDS Alliance
Dr. Jantine Jacobi, Team Leader, Women, Girls and Gender Equality, and Director, Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, UNAIDS
Ntombekhaya Matsha-Carpterntier, Senior Civil Society Officer, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
WHAT: Release of the new report Political Breakthrough: Mobilizing Accelerated Action to End Violence Against Women and Girls by 2015 and a panel discussion on the importance of stopping violence against women and girls, and discussion of implications of new policies and funding streams for improved impact on HIV/AIDS.
WHY: Around the world, one in three women will be beaten, raped or coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Evidence has shown that in the majority of cases the perpetrator is a trusted male relative or member of her community. Violence against women and girls is both a cause and a consequence of HIV/AIDS around the world and, much as HIV requires a multisectoral, multi-stakeholder response, so too does violence against women and girls.
Linda Kasonka
CEPA Country Team
The opening plenary of the Children and HIV: Family Support First Symposium was from 08:30 – 10 :00 in Vienna at the Austria Centre. The moderator Dr Natalia Kanem, president of the ELMA Philanthropies opened the session, welcomed everyone to the important pre aids conference symposium, and gave a brief of the symposium. She then introduced the first speaker Elizabeth Mwenya from the Zambian Network of people Living with HIV and AIDS to speak on behalf of the civil society. In her address Elizabeth gave a moving address of her personal experience as a person living with HIV. She told the audience that she had been living with HIV for close to 11 years and said it has not been an easy journey as she has had to do a lot of learning about the disease. She told the house that through the PPTCT programmes, she had children who are HIV negative. She told the house that she started showing symptoms in 1997 but did not have the courage to go for testing. She said her condition worsened in 1999 during her second pregnancy and the doctors advised her to go for a test and she was diagnosed to HIV positive. She underwent the PPTCT programme and had a child who is HIV negative and 11 years old now.
Elizabeth said she decided to disclose her status to help the many women who were afraid to take the bold step of going for testing and going through the PPTCT programme. She said she got a lot of support through the support group she joined and was able to mobilise a lot of other women and encourage expectant mothers to go for testing and PPTCT for those who required the service. She said the approach used in her area is to encourage both the men and women to go for testing during the antenatal visits. She said her group is involved in a lot of sensitisation through drama, door-to-door, radio etc.
She said the programme has been a success and a lot of individuals have been responding to the power of personal testimonies. As a result more women are accessing PPTCT and fewer babies are dying. She then highlighted the challenges still being faced in rural communities where she came from such as the distance barriers and well as the low literacy levels and the challenges in the infant feeding options. She ended by supporting the family centred approach as the best approach in ending paediatric HIV.
Dr Stefan Germann from the World Vision international then gave opening remarks on behalf of the Autrian first lady who could not attend due to other commitments and then called upon Mr. Michel Sidibe, Executive director of UNAIDs to give the keynote address.
Mr Sidibe welcomed everyone to the meeting and said the gathering was timely and topical. He emphasised that what was important was to achieve universal access. He told the gathering that society needs to build a society where there is no discrimination. He acknowledged that the number of children accessing medication was increasing and the PPTCT as well but said more still needs to be done to ensure zero new infection amongst children and universal access to children infected. Mr Sidibe called for the elimination of paediatric HIV by 2015. He also told the participants that integration was the magic bullet that would be cost effective and bring returns on investment. He called for the continuum of care approach, which is a family centered approach.
He ended by saying that UNAIDS was committed to
• Promoting child oriented programmes
• Assuring access to treatments for children
• Developing new treatment for children
• Strengthening economic base of family and caregiver which is critical to family centred approach.
Left to right Dr Stefan Germann- world Vision international,Dr Natalia Kanem (moderator) President, ELMA Philanthropies,Elizabeth Mwenya Network of Zambian people living with HIV and AIDS and Mr. Michel Sidibe, executive Director UNAIDS
Our awesome CEPA partner and blogger, Linda, giving the CEPA Zambia update during the CEPA Civil society dialogue meeting.
2010 Status Report on Ending Pediatric HIV/AIDS to be Released
The heads of UNICEF, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNAIDS will issue a call to action to end pediatric HIV/AIDS and agree to take every necessary action— individually and collectively—over the next five years to overcome critical bottlenecks blocking progress. A new status report on ending pediatric HIV/AIDS will be released.
Pediatric HIV/AIDS has been virtually eliminated in the global North. There is no reason this cannot be true globally. Effective treatments and technologies exist, and there are commitments in place at the country, regional, and global levels to prevent pediatric HIV/AIDS, nonetheless, key policy, implementation and funding bottlenecks are threatening progress.
WHEN: Monday, July 19th at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Press Conference Room 2, International AIDS Conference Media Center
WHO: Anthony Lake, Executive Director, UNICEF
Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS
Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Elly Katabira, President-Elect, International AIDS Society
Rolake Odetoyinbo, Civil Society Leadership Representative, CEPA Action Team
Dr. Paul Zeitz, Global Campaign Strategy Officer, Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS (Moderator)
WHAT: Unprecedented call to action to end pediatric HIV/AIDS and the release of a new status report on the issue.
WHY: Despite international efforts over the past decade to ramp up programs to combat HIV/AIDS in resource poor settings, more than 400,000 children are born with HIV each year and worldwide there are over 2 million children less than 15 years of age currently living with HIV/AIDS.
Georgina Bukenya
CEPA Global Goordinator
The 2010 international AIDS conference is going to be HOT! Not only because is is HOT in Vienna, but because of the anticipation and interesting hot topics that will be up for discussion. From the energy and commitment of civil society and global leaders to eliminate pediatric HIV/AIDS worldwide, to the up-coming Global Fund Replenishment cycle and the establishment of a Medicines Patent Pool to drive the production and supply of cost-effective, efficacious fixed dose combination HIV/AIDS drugs for children and adults.
But it's not only topics that are up for discussion that make this a HOT International AIDS Conference, but activities that will unite the global health, HIV/AIDS and human rights activists around world on universal access to prevention, treatment and care of HIV/AIDS as a human right. The Human Rights March and Rally is planned for July 20th and various activists including Annie Lenox will participate in this call for renewed commitments to universal access and zero tolerance to new HIV infections.
Yes, this will be a HOT international AIDS conference and civil society is poised for action to engage world leaders to re-prioritize HIV/AIDS. Stay tuned for the victory that awaits us!
Have you ever wondered what happens when HIV/AIDS activists all converge on one place for a week? Now is your chance! GAA has sent most of our staff to Vienna, Austria for the XVIII International AIDS Conference. Our staffers in Vienna will be posting blog updates, tweets and facebooking their experiences at IAC and sharing the inspiration they find on the way. In addition to our staff – some of our Campaign to End Pediatric AIDS (CEPA) partners will be blogging as well. We are also hosting an IAC action Center that will house news articles, events, and pictures from the conference. Come join in the conversation around the 10th International AIDS Conference and get to know the team that is there.
IAC Action Center: http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/page/s/IAC2010
GAA and CEPA Blog Team:
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| Paul Zeitz Executive Director |
Carol Bergman Deputy Executive Director |
Michael Riggs Director of Government Relations |
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| Lisa Schechtman Policy Director |
Georgina Bukenya CEPA Global Coordinator |
Linda Kasonka CEPA Country Team |
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| Gloria Nyamuzuwe CEPA Country Team |
The Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS (CEPA) is an advocacy campaign that seeks to increase coverage rates for comprehensive prevention of parent-to-child transmission (PPTCT+) and high-quality pediatric treatment services from the current average of 45% to the globally agreed-upon target of 80%. Launched in 2009, CEPA is initially focusing on six sub-Saharan African countries: Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
In conjunction with the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, the Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS has issued two new publications:
Based on input from CEPA's country-level partners, the CEPA Status Report provides a snapshot of pediatric HIV/AIDS globally and in CEPA's initial focus countries. It examines issues that are being prioritized by CEPA, which when reviewed together provide a measure of progress to date and highlight ongoing challenges. In addition, the status report offers specific recommendations for action by a range of stakeholders, including national governments, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the U.S. and other donor governments, and the Coordinated Procurement Planning Program, among others.
The CEPA Status Report highlights concrete progress and bottlenecks to achieving these priority goals:
Download the CEPA Status Report at http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/page/-/PDFs/CEPA_Status_Report_July_2010_FINAL.pdf.
The CEPA Advocacy Toolkit is designed for civil-society organizations or other groups that want to replicate CEPA's approach and undertake advocacy campaigns to end pediatric HIV/AIDS. It provides a step-by-step guide to developing national-level advocacy action plans that reflect a clear focus on achieving well-defined advocacy outcomes, and incorporate systems for monitoring progress and evaluating impact. Among the key steps described in the toolkit are (1) building a national action network; (2) identifying key stakeholders, partners, and targets; (3) conducting a situation analysis; (4) identifying and prioritizing bottlnecks; and (5) and identifying specific advocacy outcomes and outputs, as well as Key Performance Indicators for monitoring progress.
Download the CEPA Advocacy Toolkit at http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/page/-/PDFs/CEPA_Advocacy_Toolkit_July_2010_FINAL.pdf.
Sponsored:
A Plenary Panel Discussion of Children and HIV: Family Support First - Working Together to Achieve Universal Support and Access to Treatment Symposium
Date and Time: Friday July 16th 3:30-5:00pm
Location: The Austria Center (note: requires registration to Symposium to attend)
Speakers: Ms. Georgina Bukenya, Global Coordinator, Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS (CEPA), Global AIDS Alliance; Ms. Morolake Odetoyinbo, Project Director, Positive Action for Treatment Access, Nigeria; and Ambassador Jimmy Kolker, Chief, HIV & AIDS, UNICEF Headquarters. Moderated by Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, Mulago Hospital/Makerere University Medical School and Uganda Pediatric Association. With video address by Ms. Graça Machel, President of the Foundation for Community Development and Chair, Leadership Council of the Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS
Session overview: This session will stimulate a lively discussion that will challenge stakeholders to generate practical solutions to overcome existing bottlenecks to scaling up prevention, treatment and care of pediatric HIV/AIDS with the aim of eliminating vertical transmission. The discussion will be moderated by CEPA network partner Dr. Bakeera-Kitaka and will feature Ms Rolake Odetoyinbo from Nigeria and Mr. Jimmy Kolker of UNICEF.
Date and Time: Thursday July 22, 2:45-4:00pm
Location: Women’s Networking Zone, Global Village
Co-sponsors: Advocates for Youth, Global Action for Children & Global AIDS Alliance
Speakers: Mr. Ken Odumbe, ActionAid International Regional HIV&AIDS Coordinator, Kenya; Ms. Tina Musuya, Executive Director, Center for Domestic Violence Prevention; and Mr. Jaevion Nelson, Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN)
Session overview: School-related violence (SRV) undermines efforts to achieve gender parity and universal primary education, to eliminate discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, and to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. SRV itself increases vulnerability to HIV, and is often cited as a leading cause of school drop-out. Though SRV affects millions of children, especially girls, worldwide each year, comprehensive programs to counter, prevent, and respond to such violence are largely absent from both national education plans and the international community’s funding priorities. HIV/AIDS, violence, and lack of educational opportunities are part of a vicious cycle. In this interactive session, various stakeholders will share testimonies of SRV and programs designed to respond, and we will discuss strategies for a collective way forward.
Other Events:
Also appears on the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-paul-zeitz/fathers-can-stop-violence_b_617431.html
Dr. Paul Zeitz
This weekend I, like many other fathers in this country, had the joy of celebrating Father's Day with my family. As Dad to five sons, I take special pleasure in helping them to become positive forces in the world. One of the things I have tried to teach them--through my behavior, my words, and my work--is that we men have a role to play in the empowerment of women and girls. Gendered power dynamics contribute to so many of the world's ills, from HIV/AIDS to poverty, from lack of access to health services to poor quality education. But one of the worst manifestations of gender norms is also a consistent barrier to our multibillion dollar efforts to address these other human rights challenges: violence against women and girls.
Around the world, one in three women will be beaten, raped or coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. In the vast majority of these cases, the perpetrator is a man known to the woman or girl. To my great sadness, this perpetrator is often her father, or another trusted male relative. As a father, I feel it is my responsibility to model for my sons how we can help reduce the negative impacts of gender norms. As a human rights activist focused on the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, I know it is my duty to advocate for policies around the world that help ensure safety for women and girls, so they can be healthy, educated, productive members of their families and communities. This is why my organization, the Global AIDS Alliance, and I are supporting the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA), currently making its way through both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support.
Violence against women and girls is both a cause and a consequence of HIV/AIDS, in this country and everywhere. It is a cause because violence or the fear of violence can prevent women from negotiating safe sex, from asking if her partner knows his HIV status or has other sexual partners, from seeking HIV testing, returning for her results, or taking antiretroviral treatment to slow the progression of the disease. Studies have found that men who are violent toward their intimate partners are more likely to have multiple sexual partners at the same time, a major risk factor for the spread of HIV; and that women who have been abused are more likely to use condoms inconsistently than women who have not experienced violence.
Violence is a consequence of HIV for many reasons, too. For example, women living with HIV often experience stigma; stigma may lead to violence, which can prevent women from seeking services they need to stay alive out of fear that it will make their HIV status more apparent and expose them to further risk. Ultimately, research tells us that women living with HIV experience more violence in their lifetimes than HIV-negative women, and women who have experienced violence may be up to three times more likely to acquire HIV than women who have not.
Three of the key champions of the International Violence Against Women Act--Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Representative Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Representative Ted Poe (R-TX)--are also fathers who recognize how essential male partnership is in ending violence against women and girls. While I-VAWA will support engagement of men and boys in creating gender equality and making the world safer for women and girls, it will make many other improvements to U.S. international development and global health programs, as well.
I-VAWA will build off U.S. leadership on HIV by ensuring that we are also addressing violence, both as it relates to HIV and as a human rights violation and barrier to U.S. foreign policy goals in its own right. Much as HIV/AIDS requires a comprehensive response, so too does violence against women and girls. So I-VAWA will mandate the creation of a comprehensive multisectoral strategy in a set of focus countries, where programs will be supported to reform the health, legal, and education sectors, increase women's economic opportunity, and change social norms that enable violence against women and girls to continue. Improved coordination across the Department of State, USAID and other U.S. agencies implementing overseas programs, and increased attention to the role of sexual violence in armed conflict and humanitarian crisis situations are also on the I-VAWA agenda. I-VAWA will increase the efficiency and efficacy of our foreign assistance dollars, and make the world a better place for everyone--men and women, boys and girls.
This Father's Day I was reminded yet again how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful family--and how important it is that I take that opportunity to make the world a more just, healthy, and peaceful place. By working to address the twin pandemics of HIV/AIDS and violence against women and girls, I know I am taking a step in the right direction. I encourage you--whether or not you are a father too--to urge your Members of Congress to co-sponsor I-VAWA and pass it swiftly. The best gift this father could get is a safer world for this generation and the next.
Follow Dr. Paul Zeitz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@paulzeitz
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In April 2010, the Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) board of directors approved moving forward with establishing a new Global Peace Action Network (GPAN) that will catalyze the creation of innovative "campaign networks" that can respond to complex, interrelated global challenges. Utilizing a strategic political advocacy model that builds on the lessons learned from GAA's decade of experience in shaping policy and funding on global HIV/AIDS and related issues, GPAN will focus on holding donors and country-level decision-makers and implementers accountable for achieving measurable results
or people-level impacts that reflect local priorities and needs. GPAN's initial partnerships focus on
(1) advancing global climate stabilization and food security, and (2) preventing and mitigating the impact of mass atrocities and genocide.
Reporting to GAA's Executive Director-and in collaboration with GAA's Deputy Executive Director of Management and Development Director-the Senior Development Consultant will spearhead fundraising efforts to support GPAN's growth.
Position Overview
The Senior Development Consultant is responsible for helping to attract significant foundation grants, and for the design of new strategies to ensure sustained support for a growing portfolio of GPAN initiatives. We are seeking an entrepreneurial, results-oriented, mission-driven development professional with a demonstrated track record of accomplishment.
Duties and Responsibilities
Develop, implement, and participate in all aspects of the fundraising process, including strategy and case statement development; prospect research and identification; donor engagement and cultivation; gift solicitation; proposal development, submission, and tracking; and design and implementation of a relationship management system for institutional and outcomes-based reporting.
Expand GPAN's foundation and corporate funding sources by developing and executing a comprehensive and effective identification, qualification, cultivation, and stewardship process to solidify donor relationships in order to secure multi-year awards.
In partnership with the Executive Director, senior staff, and board members, define annual and
multi-¬year fundraising strategies as part of GPAN's current three-year strategic planning process.
Serve as a persuasive advocate for GPAN with a variety of constituents.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree required. Advanced degree preferred with significant achievement and demonstrated success in the not-for-profit or private sector and experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic, and entrepreneurial environment.
A strong strategic thinker with abundant energy, creativity, intellectual curiosity, and passion.
Superior written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Excellent organizational and time management, including the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
Ability to build, cultivate, and leverage personal and professional networks; develop and deliver successful presentations; and collaborate, negotiate, and solicit effectively.
A team player with a passion for GPAN's mission and vision.
How to Apply
Qualified applicants should send a current resume, salary history, and one-page letter describing your track record of accomplishment to jobopenings@globalaidsalliance.org. No calls please.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will soon decide how much funding to allocate to International Affairs programs. They can choose to follow the Budget Committee's misguided recommendation, or they can fully fund these vital programs at $58.5 billion. That's just 1.4 percent of the total federal budget. If the International Affairs budget is cut, critical global health, basic education, microcredit and other anti-poverty programs may suffer. This funding is critical for our shared prosperity and security.
A bipartisan group of senators have initiated a new sign-on letter to assure that International Affairs is fully funded. The deadline for this letter will come quickly, so write your senators today and ask them to sign this letter to the leadership of the Appropriations Committee.
In order to fulfill our commitment to the world, the US must fully fund both our fair share of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PEPFAR. Both these programs save millions of lives every year and literally, people cannot live without them. Clinics have already begun to wait list people as funds run out.
Email your Senators now in support of full funding.
It is critical that we provide life-saving medicines, family planning services and educational opportunities to people around the world. This is not possible without our financial commitment. Full funding is essential for the success of our global health programming because without these much needed funds even more people will die unnecessarily.
