May 15, 2003

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces House Resolution Calling on the President to Urge G-8 Countries To Contribute to Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Calls for more money for Global Fund

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) today introduced a resolution calling on President Bush to encourage members of the G-8 and representatives of the European Union to pledge a “substantial amount” of money to fight against global AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria to complement the recent commitment of the United States to spend $15 billion in the next five years.

“Back in 1998 when I was first elected to Congress, we already knew that AIDS in combination with tuberculosis was creating a humanitarian disaster in many parts of Africa,” said Lee. “Together with my good friend and colleague, former Congressman Ron Dellums, and with strong support and help from Congressman Jim Leach, we helped create the first truly global response to this pandemic through passage of the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000 - which established the framework for what would become the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.”

“At the same time, the G-8 had also reached a watershed moment in its response to AIDS and other infectious diseases at the Okinawa summit meeting in 2000. Recognizing the link between HIV/AIDS and poverty, the G-8 produced an ambitious plan to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. And yet, overall global funding for these diseases was slow in rising.”

“The UN Secretary General’s formal call for the establishment of the Global Fund in the summer of 2001 did produce a total of $1.3 billion in pledges of support from members of the G-8. Although this was a noteworthy development, it represented only about a tenth of the total estimated need. Coming from the world’s richest nations, this was a paltry commitment of resources.”

“At the same time, here in the House of Representatives we were working on legislation that would authorize about $1.4 billion for global AIDS programs, while the Senate was seeking to provide around $5.5 billion over two years. Both efforts recognized the importance of international institutions like the Global Fund, and committed between $750 million to $1 billion for the Fund in FY’03. Ultimately we were unable to reconcile these two bills.”

“This year, AIDS has become an even more urgent issue for us to deal with. The President’s pledge to provide $15 billion to combat AIDS stimulated our negotiations on this year’s authorization bill and finally provided the extra push to dramatically increase our level of funding.”

“House passage of H.R. 1298, The United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, on May 1, 2003, and the pending action on the bill in the Senate provides us with an even greater incentive to encourage the rest of the international community, particularly the G-8, to match our commitment to defeating these three pandemics.”

From June 1-3, President Bush will be meeting with G-8 leaders in Evian-les-Bains.

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