April 11, 2011 President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President: We are writing to urge you to attend the United Nations High- Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, June 8-10, 2011, in New York. This critical meeting will mark 10 years since the historic U .N. General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. There, the world community declared the global pandemic an emergency and committed to ensuring a human rights-based response that would facilitate access to prevention, care and treatment for persons living with or at risk of HIV infection. As you well know, the United States has been an extraordinary leader in the global AIDS response by financing treatment and prevention services for millions of individuals in developing countries and providing the largest share of funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Today, the global fight against AIDS stands at a critical juncture: breakthrough science, led by American researchers, is showing that we can defeat the pandemic if we act quickly and boldly to prevent new infections and halt unnecessary deaths. Yet HIV infection is still the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age and losing momentum in the fight would be devastating. The centrality of the U.S. role in the global response to HIV/AIDS and the location of the United Nations meeting call for your presence and leadership at this historic event. Your attendance will send a bold message that the United States commitment to the global AIDS response remains steadfast and will help to leverage high-level representation from other governments to develop a real plan for the next phase of the response. In July 2012, tens of thousands will come to Washington for the International AIDS Conference, and U.S. leadership at this UN Meeting will help set an important tone for that gathering. In addition, we respectfully request that you and other members of the U.S. delegation carry important messages to the U.N. meeting that show U.S. leadership in reaching Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon’s call for key outcomes of the meeting: Ensure HIV treatment for 13 million people;
Articulate a U.S. pledge to put 6 million people on treatment by 2013 in the highest burden countries and challenge other nations to match this pledge with the aim of treating 18million by 2015. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program is already on target to reach this goal with modest funding increases throughout this period.
Reduce by 50% the sexual transmission of HIV—including among key populations, and eliminate all new infections associated with drug use.:
Call for a global evaluation to ensure full scale-up of evidence-based prevention in the highest burden countries, including voluntary HIV testing, medical male circumcision, broadbased distribution and programming of male and female condoms and other proven biomedical and behavioral interventions. The U.S. should take specific leadership in filling the “condom gap” in many countries. Support programs that promote the human rights of women and girls and gender equality, and that promote an end to the violence and coercion that puts so many at risk for HIV acquisition.
Advocate for the full inclusion of high-risk and marginalized populations, including injection drug users, men who have sex with men and sex workers in culturally relevant and targeted prevention and treatment programs. Help ensure the outcomes document calls for policies that promote human rights for all and especially work toward decriminalizing homosexual activity, drug addiction, and sex work and life-saving interventions, including syringe exchange programs and drug substitution therapy that are essential HIV interventions.
Eliminate HIV transmission from mother to child;
Bring a clear, bold U.S. pledge to ensure optimized interventions for women to prevent vertical transmission of HIV infection that are based in human rights and include access to voluntary family planning services and full access to antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women and women of child-bearing age in all major PEPFAR-supported countries.
Reduce by 50% tuberculosis deaths in people living with HIV;
Because tuberculosis is the leading killer of people with HIV/AIDS, make a commitment to ensure that all people with HIV receiving care and treatment at US government-supported sites receive routine screening for TB and are provided appropriate treatment and care for TB-HIV co-infection.
Pledge to work through PEPFAR and the Global Fund to ensure access to TB screening, preventive therapy and treatment, and antiretroviral therapy for all HIV infected individuals suffering from tuberculosis or at risk for tuberculosis in TB/HIV endemic countries.
We hope you will consider these recommendations as you and other members of the U.S. delegation move forward to determine your role and policy positions for this important High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS.
Your presence and leadership toward bold and progressive policies will pave the way to save the lives of millions and ultimately to end the AIDS pandemic. Sincerely, AIDS Alabama AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families AIDS Foundation of Chicago The AIDS Institute AIDS Project Los Angeles African Services Committee American Jewish World Service American Social Health Association amfAR Catholics for Choice Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) Center for Reproductive Rights Community Healthcare Network Dartmouth Coalition of Global Health eMahlahlimi, Mpumalanga RSA Family Care International Gay Men's Health Crisis Global Health Council Global Research and Advocacy Group Global Forum on MSM and HIV HealthGAP HIV Law Project HIV Medicine Association HIV Prevention Justice Alliance Housing Works Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, NJ IAVI Infectious Diseases Society of America International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS – Global International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS – North America International HIV/AIDS Alliance International Rectal Microbicides Advocates International Women’s Health Coalition Louisiana AIDS Advocacy Network National AIDS Housing Coalition National Association of People with AIDS (USA) National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS National Minority AIDS Council National Women and AIDS Collective Partners In Health Positive Efforts, Inc. (Houston, TX) RESULTS SisterLove, Inc. SisterLove In South Africa Stop AIDS Alliance Treatment Action Group Tanzania National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS The Well Project United Methodist Church, General Board of Church & Society United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Committee U.S. Positive Women’s Network
Women's Collective Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease (WORLD)
Cc: Secretary of State Hilary Clinton Ambassador Eric Goosby, Coordinator, Office of Global HIV/AIDS, Department of State Gayle Smith, National Security Council Mark Abdoo, National Security Council Jeffrey Crowley, Director, Office of National AIDS Policy