Before the Global Fund Replenishment Conference which will take place in October 2019 in France and is aimed to raise new funds to end AIDS, TB and malaria by 2030, AIDES together with other partner organisations launched a petition aimed at heads of states and governments calling to support the Global Fund. You can support the petition via the following link: 
 

AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA: DON’T BE INFECTED BY INDIFFERENCE.

0.0025% of the global wealth would be enough to put an end to AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis

Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of State and of Government,

In just over 300 days you will be gathering in Lyon, France, to mobilize resources for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. These pandemics are still responsible today for more than 2.6 million deaths per year, 7 300 a day and 5 every minute! It is time to take action!

You can prevent this human disaster. For a few dollars a month, suitable diagnostic tools and effective treatments save lives and prevent new infections. However, access to these tools and treatments is still insufficient. More than one million children living with HIV are still waiting for a paediatric treatment and are at risk of dying from AIDS. More than 3 million persons are left undiagnosed for tuberculosis and therefore can’t be treated.

These three pandemics tragically affect the entire world, especially Africa. They strike first and foremost the poorest, the most vulnerable and  the most discriminated against people. Adolescent girls and young women, homo-, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, trans people, people using drugs, inmates and sex workers are all still disproportionally affected by these pandemics. AIDS alone is the first cause of death for women aged 15 to 49 in the world.

And yet, this situation is far from inevitable. Solutions to prevent new infections and save lives exist: we need to extend access to prevention (comprehensive sex education, condoms, PrEP), testing and treatments. And we need to fight against discrimination and gender inequalities, which are barriers to access to care. It is the only way forward if we want to end these epidemics.

To achieve this, more investments are necessary. If we don’t increase our efforts, we face the risk of a rapid resurgence of these pandemics and we will no longer be able to eliminate them by 2030. There is urgency: this resurgence is already visible in some countries.

Today, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provides funds for half the antiretroviral treatments in low- and middle-income countries. It provides 65% of the international funding for the fight against Tuberculosis, and 57% for Malaria. These funds have made tremendous successes possible but they are still not enough: many experts estimate that the Global Funds needs $6 billion US per year to meet to the challenges posed, against $4 billion currently available.

It is time for you, leaders of the world, to make history by putting an end to these three pandemics. You can do it in one generation. 40 years after the eradication of smallpox, Humanity can reach a new milestone for progress and global health. Show your ambition and political courage: the resources needed represent a mere 0.0025% of the global wealth. A small sum compared to the hope it carries of a world without AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Mr Macron, President of the Republic of France,

On October 10th, 2019, you will be hosting in Lyon the 6th Global Fund Replenishment Conference. It is a chance to give strong signal and a unique opportunity to make France the leader of a fairer, more stable and more equal world.

We, individuals fighting against these three pandemics, civil society leaders, scientists, leaders of organisations and ordinary citizens, call on you to do everything required to put an end to the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. For this reason, we ask you to mobilize your counterparts to ensure the financial success of the Replenishment in 2019.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you must act now. Don’t let yourselves be infected with indifference: you have the choice, you have the power to rid the world of these terrible pandemics. We are counting on you.