Church urges G8 to act on AIDS pledge.

ROLCAM

Church urges G8 to act on AIDS pledge.

WASHINGTON June 22 -- The G8 nations' pledge of $60 billion to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are commendable, but must be translated into action, United Methodist executives asserted. "The AIDS virus continues to affect millions of people who won't receive services or preventable education in spite of this funding," said Linda Bales, staff executive with the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

"The AIDS pandemic grows steadily worse," said the Rev. R. Randy Day, CEO of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. "Pledges need to be translated into action, promises into funds by the G8 nations and all other responsible countries and organizations," United Methodist News Service reported Thursday

The $60 billion is only one-third of what the United Nations says is needed over the next five years to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Together, the diseases kill about 16,000 people each day.

Representatives of United Methodist agencies attended the G8 summit June 6-8 in Germany. G8 members include Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada and Russia.

The $60 billion pledged represents "wonderful promises," Day said. "However, we cannot help but notice how slowly the eight major economic powers are moving in honoring their AIDS commitment, repeated over a number of years." He said the G8 Summit of 2005 pledged $50 billion, or $12 billion per year, to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and nothing near that has been made available.

The Bush administration asked for $300 million from Congress for 2008 for the global fund for AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This amount, along with $850 million approved by a House of Representatives committee, doesn't come close to the U.S. share based on the 2005 pledge, Day said.

President Bush announced he is asking Congress for a $30 billion, five-year extension of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which doubles the amount previously pledged and will be spread over five years to assist impoverished countries, mainly in Africa, beginning in 2009. The president's plan will provide treatment to only 2.5 million, or about 20 percent of the 12 million people needing treatment in 2013, Bales said.

The Global AIDS Alliance, a partner organization with the church's social action agency, said "A plan to really defeat AIDS, TB and malaria is still missing, yet that's what we must keep demanding of these leaders," said Dr. Paul Zeitz, GAA executive director. "This is not an issue of 'more money is always needed when it comes to poverty.' Rather, the full amount is needed so that we can actually get ahead of these health crises, which pose a global threat."

For fiscal year 2008, Bush requested $5.4 billion for AIDS, which Congress seems likely to approve, Bales said. If the next phase of the U.S. global AIDS response simply held to this 2008 level over a five-year period, it would cost $27 billion, or nearly what the president proposed, she said.

"Of course, we welcome the president's support for action to address HIV/AIDS," Zeitz said June 8. "The U.S. program has done a lot of good, primarily in care for orphans and AIDS treatment, and today the president reaffirmed its continuation."
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Roland Camilleri

Moderator

Sydney , Australia.