AIDS Activists Hold Marathon Die-In at G8 Missions

ACT UP, African Services Committee, Health GAP, Student Global AIDS Campaign, VOCAL-NY

AIDS Activists Hold Marathon Die-In at G8 Missions

UN Meeting on AIDS Kick Offs with March from Missions to Sen. Schumer’s Office

April 7, 2011 
	Contact: Jennifer Flynn, 
	Health GAP, +1-917-517-5202 
	orjflynn@healthgap.org

New York, NY: On Thursday, April 7th, 2011, AIDS activists from around the world will conduct a marathon die-in at the missions of the world’s richest countries (Germany, Netherlands, Norway, UK, Italy, U.S. and France). AIDS activists are gathering for a public hearing to provide input into the next United National Declaration at the High Level Meeting on AIDS to take place in June. Ten years ago, world leaders promised to achieve universal access to AIDS treatment. However, rich countries have been slashing funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), and their bilateral programs. AIDS activists say that the U.S. is leading the retreat from funding to fight global AIDS.

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“Every country made a promise to end the AIDS pandemic. The irony is that we now know that we can do it, if they would just keep their promises.” said Michael Tikili, a member of the Student Global AIDS Campaign. “Despite it’s wealth, Sweden has repeatedly contributed nothing to the GFATM. Their indifference is killing people,” said Staci Smith from ACT UP NY and Health GAP. Currently, the U.S. Congress is debating a budget that would result in the deaths of 1 million people in Africa.Specifically the cuts to the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund will result in:

• 483,000 people likely to die without AIDS treatment
• 68,000 babies born with HIV because their mothers didn’t receive prevention drugs
• 12 million families without bed-nets to prevent malaria, and 434,000 people will risk death without TB treatment.

Following the demonstrations at each mission, the procession will end at the office of Senator Chuck Schumer. Sen. Schumer is  leading the negotiations on the budget with House Republicans and the White House. While he has repeated his commitment to protecting global health programs, he recently signaled to students at Harvard University that funding cuts to fight AIDS were still on the table. Given new science that proves that we can actually end the AIDS pandemic, the activists will urge him to protect full funding to fight AIDS. “Senator Schumer is in the position to save a million lives simply by protecting these global health programs. This is why politicians run for office. New Yorkers don’t want this blood on our hands,” said David Goode, a member of Queerocracy. The march will be live tweeted and video recorded using the hash tag #endAIDS. The march will include several lobby take-overs and other forms of direct action. Source notes: Estimates of service delivery area based on an analysis of previous and likely outcomes. Sources include:

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Replenishment 2011–2013