U.S. Poised to Enter a New and Better Era in Global AIDS Response

May 16, 2003

U.S. Poised to Enter a New and Better Era in Global AIDS Response

(Washington, DC) In establishing bipartisan support for House Resolution (H.R.) 1298 and seeing its successful passage through both the House and the Senate, the U.S. Congress has successfully positioned the federal government to enter a new and better era in our nation’s response to global HIV. Now that initiative has been passed, AIDS Action looks forward to working with President Bush and our national leadership to ensure that the initiative receives its due funding in the appropriations process and that its potential is fully realized.
Over the next five years, AIDS Action’s priorities will work to ensure the following:

The ABC Model (Abstinence, Be faithful, use a Condom, as advocated by the bill, continues to adhere to the scientifically-based World Health Organization (WHO) twelve-step approach, which places equal emphasis on all three of the ABC Model’s prevention tactics;
Vulnerable populations and communities—especially women, children, and families—have access to life-prolonging drugs, treatments, and therapies that are currently beyond their reach;
Continued support for the efforts of local and faith-based organizations that already have long-standing records of effective services for people living with HIV/AIDS; and
The U.S. commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria achieves a level that is high enough to encourage equivalent contributions from our global partners so that this critical international initiative is not merely solvent but able to advance and expand the international response to the AIDS pandemic.

“A fully-integrated plan for comprehensive HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, and care has been a long time coming, and although we are not there quite yet, it’s clear that a change is going to come, Dr. Marsha Martin, executive director of AIDS Action said. “I strongly encourage our national leadership on the Hill and in the oval office to remain as active and invested in this historic initiative in the future as they are today. AIDS Action looks forward to helping them ensure that the U.S. response to HIV/AIDS, both globally and nationally, continues to improve over time; until it’s over.”

AIDS Action Foundation strives to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by working for public policies that promote prevention against new infections, provide care for people already living with HIV/AIDS, and support the search for a cure. AIDS Action is the national voice of all people living with HIV, representing community based organizations across the country.