Stop AIDS Campaign Urges Government to Commit Fully to HIV Initiative

The Stop AIDS Campaign has welcomed the launch of a new initiative on 19th September, to increase access to essential medicines for HIV, TB and Malaria in developing countries, but has urged the UK government not to undermine the important initiative by backing out of financing commitments.

Forming a coalition of more than 90 UK NGO's to fight HIV and AIDS, the Stop AIDS Campaign has said that although the UK government has been an admirable leader in securing global commitments for HIV treatment for all by 2010, it needs to fully back this key mechanism that will help achieve this target.

The International Drug Purchasing Facility (IDPF) is an innovative financing mechanism developed by Brazil, Chile, France, Norway and the UK (the UNITAID Group). It will use revenues from air passenger duty to leverage new and predictable resources for the fight against major diseases, induce significant reductions in the prices of essential medicines, and therefore increase access to treatment.

The IDPF will focus on significantly reducing the cost of new medicines for the three biggest pandemics in the developing world - HIV & AIDS, TB and malaria - that are urgently needed because of resistance to currently used medicines.

|QUOTE|However, the Stop AIDS Campaign has expressed its disappointment that the UK government has indicated it will not be making its contributions to the IDFP as an additional supplement to existing aid commitments.

Whilst Brazil, Chile, France and Norway are all making their contributions from air levies in addition to their existing aid commitments, the UK government has recently indicated that it will not.

The French government has already introduced an 'air-ticket solidarity levy' whereby a small proportion of the cost of each air ticket purchased in France will be used to fund the IDPF. It is anticipated that this levy will generate around €200m each year.

The UK, however, is yet to announce the value of its contribution, and has indicated that any contribution will merely come from the existing aid budget, thus undermining two key values of innovation and additionality.

Steve Cockburn, Coordinator of the Stop AIDS Campaign said, "For the Stop AIDS Campaign, one of the main points of 'added value' in this initiative is its role in leveraging predictable funds that are additional to existing aid commitments. The UK government's failure to back the IDPF with new money from our current air passenger duty undermines this initiative as it is launched."

Dr Mohga Kamal-Yanni from Oxfam further added, "While new money is needed, the IDPF also needs to prove its worth in encouraging the production of affordable, generic versions of essential medicines through the use of TRIPS flexibilities, an area in which it could make big difference."

In an open letter to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Hilary Benn, the Stop AIDS Campaign has called for the UK to set a timetable by which the UK's contribution to the IDPF will come from a portion of existing Air Passenger Duty, additional to existing ODA commitments.

Anton Kerr, Senior Policy Advisor with the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, said, "We welcome the launch of the IDPF as an international initiative that will focus on driving down the cost of life saving medicines, which are so desperately needed in the poor countries most in need. We're looking for the UK to continue its leadership in the fight against these three diseases by setting a good example for other countries to follow."

Christine Kafando, Board member of REV+, an NGO in Burkino Faso said, "Because donors refuse to make long-term funding commitments, my government doesn't fully support universal access to AIDS treatment. If the UK government dedicates a special income stream to making AIDS funding long-term, it solves the problem, and we can all get to work."