We're Here, We're Wet! Fight AIDS, Cancel Debt!

Today the Jubilee staff and hundreds of students, activists, and people living with AIDS are heading to the White House in the rain and the storm no less to demand that Congress and the Bush Administration act on their commitment to end AIDS.

It is time for them to take the lead and fully drop the debt, fund the Global Fund, change U.S. trade policies to encourage (instead of undermine) generic AIDS drug production, and launch a new $8 billion initiative for healthcare workers in Africa.

You may ask: Why drop the debt for AIDS? What do debt cancellation and AIDS have in common?

In 2005, the Group of Eight (G-8) world leaders committed to work towards universal access to treatment for people with HIV/AIDS by 2010. The G-8 also committed to the 100 percent cancellation of debts for 19 of the most impoverished countries, 14 of them in Africa.

Since that time, these countries are using the freed-up money to fight AIDS.

As a result of the 2005 debt deal, Tanzania eliminated out-of-pocked costs for HIV testing services, and Zambia has committed to providing antiretroviral drugs for 100,000 citizens.

While the G-8 has followed through on their commitment to debt cancellation, they have not followed through on their commitment to universal access for HIV/AIDS. By 2008, the world will need $22.1 billion to comprehensively fight the virus and related diseases like tuberculosis and malaria.

All countries must invest in the fight and realize that for every aid dollar sent to the most impoverished countries, $2.30 flows back to lenders in debt service payments.

Kenya, more than $7 billion in debt, must pay hundreds of millions of dollars a year in debt service while 1.3 million Kenyans living with HIV/AIDS lack adequate treatment.

Debt cancellation is a part of the comprehensive solution to fight AIDS. We must call for more and better debt cancellation to help achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of HIV.

Today, we are at the White House to hold our leaders accountable. Together, we all must work to pressure these leaders to take the essential steps to drop the debt and fully fund the fight against AIDS.

Want to learn more? Check out our updated Debt & AIDS fact sheet Stay tuned next week for photos and a firsthand account of the protest.