Stop AIDS UK day of action- a report from Islean Kinghorn
March 11th was the UK day of Action around the Stop AIDS campaign. Islean Kinghorn, Vice President of Brighton and Sussex Stop Aids Campaign, reports on the day’s events with help from Nicola Bradley and Faye Tierney,-Rhona
In 2005 at the G8 summit in Gleneagles Scotland a pledge was made to the 33million people in the world living with HIV/AIDS, to achieve universal access to prevention, treatment and care. Three years have passed and large strides have been made. Before 2005 only 3% of those affected had access to treatment, this figure has now climbed to 25%. This however leaves 70% of those infected without access, in addition, 80% can not access basic prevention services, culminating in 5700 deaths each day. UNAIDS estimate that at the current rate of action, the target will be missed by over half.
On the 11th of March the Stop Aids Campaign, a consortium of over 80 UK based HIV/AIDS organisations, declared a day of action. As a member of the Brighton and Sussex student Stop Aids Campaign, I joined students from all over the country in London to lobby for universal access.
We were focusing our efforts on two important events in the coming year:
- The release of the UK governments new AIDS Strategy, which will shape the size and scope of England’s actions in meeting the 2010 targets. Here we are asking for action in three areas:
1. Finance: Commit at least £2.5bn over the next three years to ensure the UK pays its fair share of global resources needed
2. Reduce the prices of essential medicines: Promote and support generic use
3. Strengthen health systems: Address the health worker shortage and provide long-term financing to strengthen services and infrastructure - 2009 G8 Summit to be held in Hokkaido Japan in July. In order to reach the targets they set for them selves the campaign asks:
1. Ensure universal access is a key part of the G8 agenda
2. Agree firm plans and timetable to deliver on existing commitments
To start the day we had the speaker event. The speakers included the shadow secretary for International development, Andrew Mitchell, because Douglas Alexander the current secretary was ‘unable’ to meet with us. Part of the shadows job, as the main opposition, is to hold the government in power to account so we wanted to get them active on the issue of universal access. Bellow is a summary of what was said.
Martin Kalunga-Banda, Oxfam
-Still confusion in the ground about basic information concerning infection, prevention and treatment. This leads to death.
-Big issue of access to information, facilities and medicines.
-It is a question of political will of both donor and recipient countries
Michelle Childs, Knowledge Ecology International
-Unaffordability - governments will only buy drugs if they are cost effective, treatment for HIV is never ending as drug regimes can’t be stopped, many patients will soon need to be switched to more expensive second line drugs. Generics are needed to overcome these problems and middle income countries such as Thailand and India need to be supported in using TRIPS flexibilities in order to produce them
- Unsuitable - Many drugs need to be continually refrigerated and do not come in forms suitable for children
-Unavailable - There is not enough research done into diseases effecting developing countries because there is no financial return. Need to look into ways of separating research and development costs from market pricing.
For more information on these points visit http://www.keionline.org/ and click on WHO IGWG
Steve Cockburn, Stop AIDS Campaign
-Under-funding on AIDS will undermine progress in other areas of development
-Not acting now will lead to increased prevalence and greater costs in the long term
-Vague promises on funding are not acceptable in the UK national budget, so why are they on a budget that effects millions of lives worldwide
Andrew Mitchell, Conservative Shadow Secretary for International Development
Conservative plans for HIV/AIDS:
-Interim targets for achieving universal access
-Prioritising gender issues and female empowerment
-Mother to child transmission
-Prevention as well as treatment
-Role of private companies in generic drug distribution
-Encourage vaccine research and development
-Address issues of resistance
-An independent body to monitor aid spending and liaise with civil society
-Commit 0.7% of GDP to aid
A lot of this sounded great but of course at the moment they are not in a position to implement and it is easy to make promises when you’re not in power.
Also although he supported generics he didn’t seem to understand the full scope of the issue and the problems faced by countries trying to use their legal rights to implement TRIPS flexibilities. While he pledged a set amount for total aid he did not give a set amount for HIV/AIDS which is a major problem for accountability and long term planning.
Later in the day students went off to meet their MP’s to try and get them to agree to support the campaign. We were trying to get MP’s make specific commitments on how they would push forward the issue of universal access so that we could follow up their progress.
Nicola Bradley, Second year Rep for Brighton and Sussex branch tells us how her meeting with David Heath, Liberal Democrat MP for her home in Summerset went:
“We were well received and felt he listened and gave his honest opinion. For the most part we were able to follow our agenda, presenting our main points and get across what we wanted him to do. Encouragingly he was already aware of our campaign and could give educated responses to our queries and requests. To our success he confirmed that he would speak to colleagues and try to initiate a discussion on HIV/AIDS in the run up to the G8 summit. However we could not commit him to writing Douglas Alexander on his failings to deliver on previous G8 as he thought this would be ineffective. This was quite frustrating. ”
Faye Tierney, Campaigns Coordinator for the University of Sheffield met with Michael Moore MP, below she tells how it went:
“After a disappointing morning with Andrew Mitchell Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for International Development a small delegation of campaigners went to meet with his Liberal Democrat counterpart Michael Moore, MP. Thankfully we were able to engage in a more constructive and cooperative meeting, reminding us as campaigners of the potential impact of engaging with influential UK politicians.
“Mr. Moore has been in the position since Nick Clegg became leader of the Liberal Democrats in December 2007, not a very long time to learn the jargon and complexities of International Development. Mr. Moore freely admitted he was on a steep learning curve, but was keen and willingly to engage with the student campaigners. While we were very encouraged by the meeting we fear a certain naivety as regards the possibilities of engaging with pharmaceutical companies. He proposed to write to Abbot as regards their conduct. This may be influential coming from a politician with his standing but we fear it will be of little impact.
“Mr. Moore did however seem keen to approach the issues of funding for the new UK AIDS strategy and the strengthening of health care systems in a letter to the Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander. He also wanted to raise parliamentary questions suggested by the campaign. We now hope that Mr. Moore can build on his enthusiasm to become an increasingly effective and constructive opposition party in shaping the UK response to the HIV/Aids crisis. The Student Stop Aids Campaign will continue to correspond with him to help him develop his understanding of the issue.”
The day ended with a small delegation of student campaigners along with Barbara Stocking, Director General of Oxfam Great Britain, handing in over 25,000 action cards from all over the UK, signed in petition of the government’s inaction, to 10 Downing street.
I came away with mixed feeling about the day. Sometimes it can be hard to keep optimistic when people in power seem to be committed in words alone, to issues that really do affect the lives and deaths of millions globally. Meeting with other campaigners though reminds you that there are people out there passionate about international health, and that without their efforts, issues such of this would simply slip further and further off the agenda. Islean Kinghorn: islean_x@hotmail.com
For more information on the Stop AIDS Campaign or to find a student society near you, visit www.stopaidscampaign.org.uk
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