Funding increase is critical to turning the tide against deadly pandemic, groups warn

Contact: Amy Parodi, 253-815-2386, 253-709-3190 cell, aparodi@worldvision.org; Brian Peterson, 407-445-6484, 407-491-2399 cell, bpeterso@worldvision.org; both with World Vision

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 /Standard Newswire/ -- World Vision and some 90 other organizations have joined together to urge U.S. House and Senate leaders to increase funding for programs combating global HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria.

In an open letter to policymakers, the groups called on Congress to pass a final number in the FY 2007 budget that, at minimum, matches the proposed Senate number of $4.36 billion in FY 2007. If Congress maintains global AIDS funding at the FY 2006 level, it will be more than $1 billion less than the figure the Senate proposed for 2007.

"We urge Members of Congress to keep the battle against global AIDS a priority in the new Congress," said Robert Zachritz, World Vision's Senior Policy Advisor for Global Development. "AIDS, TB and malaria are global killers on the greatest scale, and we can't win this fight if funding doesn't keep pace."

The Senate funding level of $4.36 billion for these programs included the following elements, which World Vision and other signatories are urging Congress to pass:

• $3.42 billion for bilateral AIDS, TB and research programs, including activities in 15 focus countries;

• $700 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and

• $234 million for bilateral malaria programs, including full funding for the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI).

"What's at stake are programs that prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, provide antiretrovirals to HIV-infected women and men, care for children orphaned by AIDS, control the spread of deadly TB and malaria and more," said Zachritz. "We are talking about saving lives and preserving healthy communities in the world's poorest countries."

For more information, please contact Rachel Wolff at 253.815.2072 or 253.394.2214.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit www.worldvision.org/press.

Note to Editors: Text of letter follows.

January 10, 2007

The Honorable Robert C. Byrd

Chairman, Appropriations Committee

S-128 Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Thad Cochran

Ranking Member, Appropriations Committee

S-125A Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable David R. Obey

Chairman, Appropriations Committee

H-218 Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Jerry Lewis

Ranking Member, Appropriations Committee

1016 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairmen Byrd and Obey and Ranking Members Cochran and Lewis:

While there are significant challenges, as you finalize the FY 2007 process through a year-long continuing resolution, we are hopeful that you will consider increased funding for global HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria programs as a priority. At minimum, we urge you to support the Senate-funding level of $4.36 billion for these programs, including:

- $3.42 billion for bilateral AIDS, TB and research programs, including activities in the 15 focus countries;

- $700 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and

- $234 million for bilateral malaria programs, including full funding for the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI).

With the creation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in 2003, the United States made an historic commitment to battle HIV/AIDS. Centered on the rapid scale-up of prevention, care and treatment programs in 15 countries hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, these programs have played a key role in our response to the global pandemic. As of September 30, 2006, the Emergency Plan has supported antiretroviral treatment for 822,000 people in the focus countries, with sixty-one percent of those supported being women. In addition, the Emergency Plan has provided HIV testing and counseling to 18.7 million people; prevention of mother-to-child HIV services for women during more than 6 million pregnancies; and, care to 4.5 million orphans and people living with HIV and AIDS. Level funding would eliminate the opportunity to extend AIDS treatment to 350,000 in urgent need.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is also a critical component to our response to these deadly diseases. Created in 2002, the Global Fund has played a leading role in fighting AIDS, TB and malaria around the world. In just a few short years, it has grown into an organization with $6.8 billion committed to programs in 136 countries, and now provides 20 percent of the world's AIDS financing, and two-thirds of all donor-funding for TB and malaria each. As a result of its work, 770,000 people are receiving life-saving AIDS medication, 2 million people have been treated for TB, and more than 18 million bed nets have been distributed to prevent children from getting malaria. The Global Fund is also working with bilateral programs to confront extremely drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), a growing emergency that threatens to undermine not only basic TB control but also AIDS treatment roll-out. This further highlights the urgent need to support the Global Fund and aggressive bilateral TB and TB-HIV programs, especially in Africa. For every $100 million taken away, the Global Fund will not be able to purchase:

- 630,000 bed nets to fight malaria;

- 150,000 treatments for malaria;

- 370,000 HIV tests;

- Provide 11,000 people with AIDS treatment; and

- Purchase 80,000 treatments for TB.

In addition to the Global Fund, the President's Malaria Initiative and other bilateral programs are also central to the U.S. response to malaria. Announced in 2005, the PMI is a five year, $1.2 billion program to fight the disease in 15 sub-Saharan African countries. In a short period of time, the PMI program is achieving significant results. By the end of November 2006, PMI was supporting activities benefiting over 6 million people in the initial three countries of Tanzania, Angola and Uganda. With the announcement of the last of the 15 "focus" countries at last month's White House Summit on Malaria, it is critical to sustain these important programs. Since the PMI's first year of new, increased funding is FY2007, level-funding will mean there will not be continued scale up of current programs and expansion to four additional focus countries. This will have a significant impact on reaching the initiative's goal of reducing malaria deaths by 50% in each of the target countries after three years of implementation.

Continuing these critical programs with level funding will have a serious impact on our ability to turn the tide against these diseases. Without additional resources, we will not be able to keep pace with the pandemic. We are hopeful that with your leadership, these programs will be a central priority in the new Congress. Thank you for your longstanding commitment in the battle against HIV/AIDS. We appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Action Group for Rural Organisations (AGRO)

Advocates for Youth

AIDS Action Council

AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families

AIDS Drug Assistance Protocol Fund

AIDS Project Los Angeles

AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition

Africa Action

Africa Faith and Justice Network

Africa Fighting Malaria

Africa Services Committee

African Communities Against Malaria (ACAM)

African Council of AIDS Service Organizations (AfriCASO)

African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)

Allies Linked for the Prevention of HIV & AIDS

American Academy of HIV Medicine

American Medical Student Association

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research

Anti TB / HIV Center of Adjame – Ivory Coast

Associacao dos Tecnicos Agro Pecuarios (ATAP)-Mozambique

Church Women United

Church World Service

Columbia University - Mailman School of Public Health

Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP)

CrossLink International

DATA – Debt AIDS Trade Africa

Development Finance International, Inc.

Ecumenical HIV/AIDS Initiative in Africa World Council of Churches

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, HIV Services Program

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Environmental and Community Health Outreach Foundation

Family Violence Prevention Fund

Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa

Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR) Brooklyn, NY

Foundation for Study and Research on Women (FEIM)

Freedom from Hunger

Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Fundación Apoyo y Solidaridad

FXB International

Gentle Spirit Christian Church of Atlanta

Georgia Rural Urban Summit

Global AIDS Alliance

Global Action for Children

Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC)

Global Health Advocates

Global Health Council

Global Rights: Partners for Justice

Health GAP

HIV Advocacy Council of Oregon and SW Washington

HIV Medicine Association

HIVictorious, Inc.

Housing Works, Inc.

ICW Namibia

International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

International AIDS Women's Caucus - IAWC

International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region

International Women's Health Coalition

Intersect Worldwide

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs

John Snow, Inc.

KAIPPG International

KAIPPG Kenya

Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network (LACWHN)

Latin American Network of PLWHA - RedLa+

MAP International

Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office

Mozambican Treatment Access Movement

NAACP

National Council of Disabled Persons of Zimbabwe

Open Society Policy Center

PATH

Patients not Patents

Peoples Alliance to Combat HIV/AIDS

Physicians for Human Rights

Population Services International (PSI)

Positive Womens Network

Project Inform

Public Personalities Against Aids Trust

Redeem (Intl) Community Health Consult

Results

SAfAIDS

Save Africa's Children

Science with a Mission

South Carolina Campaign to End AIDS

Southern African Network of AIDS Service Organizations (SANASO)

Student Campaign for Child Survival

Student Global AIDS Campaign

TB Alert

The AIDS Institute

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

The Community of PLHIV, Moscow, Russia

The Hospice Association of the Witwatersrand

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

The National Forum of PLHA Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU)

Treatment Action Group (TAG)

United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society

Vestergaard Frandsen Inc

World AIDS Campaign

World Learning

World Vision

Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Nigeria