AIDS campaigners call on British and French governments to develop a common strategy to fight HIV/AIDS

AIDS campaigners are calling on the British and French governments to develop a common strategy to end the pandemic of HIV/AIDS and guarantee full access to basic education.

In a report published today, the Global AIDS Alliance, a grassroots campaign, gives its wholehearted backing to Gordon Brown's proposed International Finance Facility (the IFF) and calls on the French government to work with Brown to capitalise the Facility with revenues obtained from the French proposal for an airline tax.

Paul Zeitz, Director of the Global AIDS Alliance said: "History has taught us that threats to social, economic and political stability cannot be dealt with through an attitude of 'appeasement.' Instead governments should drop their rivalry, and develop a common strategy to raise sufficient resources to fight one of the biggest threats to global security -- the AIDS pandemic. Anglo-French leadership is vital given that the world's superpower refuses to exercise such leadership."

The report says the world must move much faster to launch new ways of raising money to fight HIV/AIDS, since without greater aid there will be little hope of stopping the epidemic. Only by uniting the UK and French proposals can the world quickly raise the funds needed, while ensuring sustainability.

David Bryden, Communications Director of the Global AIDS Alliance and author of the report said: "For three years in a row, the Bush Administration has tried to cut the US contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Next week, in his 2007 Budget Proposal, the President is expected to propose a forty-five percent cut. On malaria, President Bush's funding commitment is back-loaded, and on girls' education he has only put forward small-scale initiatives. That's why we need the UK, France, and others to show the way forward on how to quickly leverage much greater financing for cost-effective programs. We also appeal to Germany to also take part, since if Germany breaks its word to increase aid it will lose its best chance to show leadership in global affairs."

The IFF and the Airline Solidarity Contribution will be discussed at the meeting of the G8 Finance Ministers, February 10-11 in Russia.

The report is online.