Today is World AIDS Day -- the 21st World AIDS Day, I believe. And there is much to celebrate. The global response to AIDS is beginning to work: death rates are falling, those with access to AIDS drugs are living healthy lives and returning to the work of building strong communities.
Yet the crisis continues: new WHO data released a of couple weeks ago show that the leading killer of women of reproductive age worldwide is HIV. We've only reached about a third of those in immediate need of life-saving treatment. Our progress is so fragile.
The Obama administration celebrated its first World AIDS Day yesterday with an announcement that the International AIDS Conference would come to Washington, DC in 2012 because the horrendously unjust ban on people living with HIV traveling to the U.S. would be lifted. The lifting of the ban is, of course, good news: the very least the administration could do was stop overt discrimination that would be illegal if practiced against U.S. citizens.
Yet the least they can do is not the bar I had been hoping to set when President Obama was elected. Given the enormity of the impact the AIDS pandemic is having in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, bringing a conference to DC seems among the most superficial announcements I could imagine out of the White House this year.
Where is the $50 billion for global AIDS promised by President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary Clinton when they were campaigning for our votes? The 2010 budget certainly didn't have it.
Where's the promise to double the number of people on AIDS treatment around the world, as they pledged? With no new money we're hearing reports from Uganda and Nigeria of people being turned away from clinics because doctors cannot afford to start them on life-saving treatment.
And so on World AIDS Day activists have put together a report card, and the result is not pretty: a D+.
But the Obama/Biden/Clinton team can turn this grade around. The seeds of success are all there: strong, bold leadership, a belief in human rights and the capacity of wealthy nations to do good in the world, and a renewed commitment to global engagement. They have promised a Global Health Initiative centered around women. As the leading cause of death and disease among women, HIV has to be the place to start and Obama can signal a break from the Bush era by eliminating ideologically driven prevention programs that fail women and standing up to drug companies to drive down prices of AIDS treatment. But to succeed, they must fully embrace AIDS treatment to ensure the mothers, doctors, farmers, and teachers are alive to build the next generation.
We need real leaders for times when the right decision is hard. These are tight budgetary times and there are competing demands. But promises to support boldly expanded AIDS funding cannot be made when its easy then put off until later when its hard. I sincerely hope the 2011 budget will put President Obama back in the A-grade direction.
Willow Bay: LA Families Send A Message Of Hope
Since the 1990s, I have supported the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. While we've virtually eliminated new cases of HIV in infants in the United States, globally the need is still great.
delivering petitions from Washington DC residents to the Mayor,
standing inside the Wilson Building, a public building. They were
given misdemeanor charges for 'failure to move.'
DC Fights Back requests people immediately call the Mayor's Office at
202-727-2980 and call on him to meet with DC Fights Back members and
other DC AIDS activists urgently, and to ensure the protesters are
released immediately and that all charges against them are dropped.
seriously...Obama would do good to follow Bush's lead on this one, Bush is almost a hero in Africa.
US News reports that the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), started under George W Bush, is responsible for over 2 million people being on therapy.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/12/01/a-good-year-in-the-fight-against-aids.html
In 2005, Bush created the President's Malaria Initiative, committing $1.2 billion in aid to Africa.
Since 2001, President Bush has been committed to supporting various causes in Africa. U.S. aid to Africa quadrupled from $1.3 billion to more than $5 billion in 2005 and to almost $9 billion for 2010
Bush's Millennium Challenge Corp. identified nine African countries to receive $3.8 billion for infrastructure and agriculture.
The president also implemented an African Education Initiative training almost 1 million teachers, providing more than 10 million textbooks, and giving hundreds of thousands of scholarships for girls' education.
Its not surprising that those on the left are clueless about Africa's great fondness for Bush, just look at Don Lemon's reaction when he is told Bush got as warm a welcome as Obama when Obama visited Africa. Priceless:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngyHpbUDLZY
“It’s not unprecedented. When President Bush was here, you will remember, in February, there were people who were drumming, there were dances, and President Bush joined some of them.”
Speaking of needs, the American people need a POTUS who is focused on the bread and butter issues that affect everyday Americans. Please Mr. President....after you finish following through on your promises, leave the "save the world" agenda for someone else.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027631_AIDS_House_of_Numbers.html
Certainly thought provoking. I'll be trying to find it in a theater or rental.
Realistically you have to also be patient. It's a 4 year term.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-30-bush-AIDS_N.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-30-bono-bush_N.htm
http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2008/02/geldof-praises.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-30-bush-AIDS_N.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-30-bono-bush_N.htm
If they don't work, just type them in.
http://www.jasonfebery.wordpress.com
He's certainly giving me no reason to vote for him again. Just another politician with broken promises.
Give him time....
The Chicago Political machine is run off money - and if you don't have enough money for admission into the game - you don't get to play.
Look at the big agenda items - and who is sponsoring and supporting them - it's all big organizations with millions to spend for him.
Did anyone really believe in hope and change from this President? Come on, we're not that stupid of a society are we?
I wish he hadn't appointed the most corrupt of the Rubin/Summers Wall Street speculators and deregulators to continue to loot what remains of the economy that the Wall Street speculators and deregulators destroyed;
I wish he hadn't appointed Monsanto to watch over food safety and agriculture;
I wish he had the cojones to get us out of a war that will make Vietnam look like a warmup.
What exactly do you think I should get a grip about?
People would rather complain, but when unforseen things happen, they never do anything to help.
They just got their hands out.
It's ridiculous.
HIV experts and activist are the only ones doing HIV program, research and policy. That was the central point to this blog that the Obama admin is NOT doing anything. There is no political will from the Obama Admin and we are asking for central leadership from this administration. May I remind you was their campaign promise. HIV is the leading cause of death among women and young people worldwide and programs, research and policies need to address this the reality of this Pandemic.
At some point you have to prioritize. While I feel for Aids victims around the world, fact is we don't have the resources at this time.