Campaigners Attack UK Over AIDS Funds

On Tuesday, AIDS advocates accused the British government of reneging on its pledge to triple by 2010 the amount of assistance it would contribute to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The advocates, including the charities Oxfam, Action Aid, and U.S. groups, are concerned the lower offer announced yesterday will discourage generous donations to the Global Fund by other European nations and the United States.

The Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, promised £1 billion (U.S. $2.014 billion) over the next eight years to the Global Fund.

"This is only £125 million [U.S. $252 million] a year," noted Steve Cockburn of the Stop AIDS Campaign. "Currently, the UK gives £100 million (U.S. $201 million] a year."

"It is astonishing how quickly promises become meaningless," said Cockburn. "In June the G-8 promised to treble the size of the Global Fund by 2010, in order to tackle three diseases that kill 6 million people each year. Then in July, [Prime Minister] Gordon Brown claimed moral leadership by warning the world that promises to tackle poverty and disease must not be broken. Yet today the government has done exactly that, and sadly the effect will be felt by millions of people affected by AIDS, TB and malaria across the world."

Currently, the Global Fund contribution of the United States is limited to no more than one-third of total international donations. Therefore, U.S. funding can rise or fall depending on other nations' contributions. Advocates have called for Britain to contribute £700 million [U.S. $1.4 billion] over the next three years.

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