The Global Fight Against HIV/AIDS

“AIDS is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. It is literally killing millions of people and crippling global economies. The impact of HIV/AIDS on African Americans in the United States is extremely alarming. While the number of new diagnoses for virtually every segment of the population is declining, it is rapidly increasing for African Americans. Many developing nations are being ravaged by HIV/AIDS. According to the United Nations Joint Commission on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), 40 million people are living with AIDS worldwide. Without a strong response, there will be more than 100 million people infected with HIV by 2010. We must respond accordingly."

— Congresswoman Barbara Lee

As Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Task Force on Global HIV/AIDS, Congresswoman Barbara Lee is dedicated to creating and supporting legislation that:

• Helps create the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and to Increase the United States' contribution to bilateral and multilateral programs.
• Provides $2.5 billion a year to fight the global AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria pandemics.
• Reduces the cost of life-extending and saving AIDS medicines for all people diagnosed with AIDS.
• Increases the level of United States' domestic spending for HIV/AIDS prevention, education, treatment, care and vaccine initiatives.
• Increases funding for mother-to-child-transmission prevention and treatment therapies throughout the world.
• Calls for deeper debt relief so that heavily indebted and poor countries can redirect their national resources to fight their national AIDS crises.
• Provides resources to address the exploding global AIDS orphan crisis
• Provides resources for AIDS vaccine development and programs that would ensure global vaccine access.
  

Congresswoman Lee continues to push for a $1 billion annual United States contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

During the 106th and 107th Congress, Congresswoman Barbara Lee has emerged as a key leader to fight HIV/AIDS n the United States. She has:

• Secured $5 million for HIV/AIDS prevention, education, treatment and care services in Alameda county.
• Co-authored H.R. 3519, the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-264), which authorizes the establishment of a public/private global trust fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.
• Introduced a successful $42 million amendment to increase global AIDS spending in the FY01 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill.
• Introduced H.R. 2069, the Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education and Treatment Act, which expands funding for global AIDS programs.
• Introduced H.R. 1185, the Global Access to HIV/AIDS Medicines Act, which codifies President Clinton's Executive Order to provide global access to AIDS pharmaceuticals and medical products by allowing countries with high HIV/AIDS rates to manufacture generic AIDS drugs and to exempt them from patent restrictions on life-saving AIDS drugs.
• Introduced H.R. 1567, the Debt Cancellation for HIV/AIDS Response of 2001, which would cancel multilateral debt from the World Bank and the IMF for countries that have 3% HIV infection rates or declare a national health emergency.
• Introduced H.R. 3469, the Family Life Education Act, to reduce the rate of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents by providing comprehensive sex education and disease prevention education and information.

The Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Comprehensively addressing the global AIDS, TB and malaria crisis requires a multifaceted and multi-generational approach. It has been over twenty years since the first AIDS diagnosis. Since then, HIV/AIDS has infected over 57 million people worldwide and has claimed over 25 million lives, including 4 million children.

The events of September 11th have turned the world's attention appropriately on combating international terrorism. However, we cannot forget the global scourge of HIV/AIDS. AIDS, like many diseases, knows no borders and discriminates against no one. Each day AIDS, TB and malaria claim over 17 thousand lives. Just as we fight terrorism, we must also fight these diseases.

According to UNAIDS, left unchecked, it is estimated that over 100 million people will be infected worldwide by 2007. AIDS is decimating the continent and leaving millions of orphans in its wake. Today the number of orphans in Africa is the equivalent of the total population of children in America=s public schools. Left unchecked, Africa will be home to more than 40 million orphans by 2010. We must not sacrifice this generation of children on the altar of indifference.

The AIDS epidemic has cut life expectancy by twenty-five years in some countries. In Botswana, the population growth rate, due to AIDS, is negative. This means that there are more people dying from AIDS than there are being born. The AIDS, TB and malaria pandemics constitute a crisis of biblical proportions in Africa and puts the very survival of the continent at stake. These pandemics are not only a humanitarian crisis, but they are a potential economic, political and social catastrophe.
Therefore, it is so important that we continue to beat the drum to raise awareness. Our efforts at home must reach beyond our shores. America can and must do more.

All HIV-infected persons have a basic right to vital medicines for prevention and treatment of AIDS. They must have access to AIDS drugs, including anti-retroviral agents to treat opportunistic infections. We have the knowledge and technology to prevent the spread of HIV. We have the necessary drugs that can substantially reduce the rate of mother-to-child transmission and prolong the lives of people who are infected.

In addition to all of the barriers we face addressing this global crisis, basis health care infrastructure remains an issue. The U.S. must commit resources to assist in rebuilding the infrastructure in many countries as well as providing services for AIDS, TB and malaria.

As we move toward developing health care infrastructures in developing nations, we must also bring a sharper focus to the objectives of gender equality, development and peace. While these issues may be at the heart of our agenda, they are still far from being achieved. In many countries where there is conflict, women and young girls suffer its impact disproportionately, yet, they are often times not the initiators of the conflict. We must break these trends.

America must continue to lead the global fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The blueprint for future generations and our dedication to the future of the human family will surely have a ripple effect into the world community.

Representative Lee's Legislation Responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis:

H.R. 1185 THE GLOBAL ACCESS TO
HIV/AIDS MEDICATIONS ACT OF 2001

Fast Facts:

Summary:The Global Access to HIV/AIDS Medicines Act of 2001 codifies and expands Clinton Executive Order #13155, Access to HIV/AIDS Pharmaceuticals and Medical Technologies.

Using the frame work of Clinton Executive Order this bill would prohibit the United States from exerting pressure through the World Trade Organization or through the United States Trade Representative to stop subSaharan African countries from engaging in parallel importing or manufacturing of generic live-saving HIV/AIDS medication.

Earlier in 2001, the Bush Administration considered rescinding this executive order. In light of the seriousness of the African AIDS crisis and the overwhelming reach of the AIDS pandemic globally, 39 of our colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, wrote to the President requesting that he not rescind the executive order.

This bill would codify the Clinton Executive Order and expand its reach to other developing nations that have been hit hard by AIDS, but have limited resources to address the crisis. The beneficiaries of this bill would be countries that declare a national emergency related to HIV/AIDS, as well as countries that have an HIV/AIDS incidence of 5% or more.
This bill has been referred to the House International Relations Committee and has 17 cosponsors.

H.R. 1567B The Debt Cancellation for
HIV/AIDS Response Act of 2001

Fast Facts

Summary: This bill calls for multilateral debt cancellation for countries eligible for consideration under the HIPC initiative or are heavily affected by HIV/AIDS.

According to the United Nations, economic and social factors contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS, which now infects 16,000 people per day. Due to the debt crisis in many impoverished countries, substantially more money is spent on debt repayment each year that on HIV/AIDS prevention care and treatment programs and other health and educational services. Only 22 countries have qualified for bilateral debt cancellation and their average annual debt service has been reduced to 26%. This level of reduction is not allowing these countries to exit from sustainable debt nor, are the necessary resources being freed up to combat poverty and the HIV/AIDS crisis. Thus, the active participation of all stake holders in addressing multilateral debt, as well as the HIV/AIDS crisis must be a precondition in order to implement effective programs. A large scale program of multilateral and bilateral debt cancellation should have minimal impact on creditor country taxpayers and budgets. We must expand bilateral debt cancellation to multilateral relief strategies and link those debt savings to an HIV/AIDS and an infectious disease control response.

This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director at the World Bank and the IMF to use the influence of the United States and to require publication of decisions made on strategies to:

1. Negotiate a strategy for multilateral debt cancellation for countries who may be considered for services under HIPC or are heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS. These strategies must include poverty reduction that if fair and transparent.
2. Call for an immediate moratorium on debt service payments and accrual of interests. This would free money up so that nations could reallocate a portion of those savings to HIV/AIDS, infectious disease control and other health related aspects. (Note: there has been discussions to develop escrow accounts that would be made available to countries once they meet requirements for debt cancellation, however, this would not allow for resources to be spent until those obligations are reachedB no immediate impact or recourse to address the AIDS crisis).
3. Encourage countries and civil society to ensure that national HIV/AIDS strategies are fully funded, a significant portion of debt savings are used to HIV/AIDS services. HIV/AIDS strategies should be based on best practices including prevention, treatment, orphan response, accessibility to affordable drugs and social and healthcare infrastructure development. And, to use reserve accounts or net income of the institutions to offset the costs the debt cancellation.
   

This bill opposes user fees for primary education and health care by authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Exec. Director at the World Bank and IMF to oppose and vote against any provisions in programs at these institutions that include user fees or service charges for primary education or healthcare. This includes prevention of HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and infant, child and maternal healthcare programs.

This bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to consult with appropriate agencies to develop strategies to counter corruption in beneficiary countries of this bill. It also requires annual reports to Congress on all progress of and the effects of debt cancellation. These reports shall include the impact on funding increases for HIV/AIDS responses, vaccine approaches, and health care delivery system infrastructure development, and other related services and the effectiveness of there programs.

This bill currently has 14 cosponsors.

H.R. 2069, the Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education, and Treatment Act of 2001

Fast Facts

The Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education, and Treatment Act of 2001 was marked up with a democratic substitute, coauthored by Congresswoman Lee, which significantly increases the spending levels in this bill and passed out of the House International Relations Committee by 32-4.

This bill urges the United States and other developed countries, with respect to activities supported in connection with health programs, to provide assistance to sub-Saharan and other developing countries to control the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic through HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, monitoring, and related activities, particularly activities focused on women and youth (including mother-to-child transmission prevention strategies). Authorizes the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) to provide assistance through non-governmental organizations to carry out such activities there. Directs the Administrator of AID to report annually to Congress on the implementation of the policies set forth in this Act. Authorizes $660 Million.

This bill directs the Administrator for USAID to provide assistance to sub-Saharan African and other developing countries for the procurement of HIV/AIDS pharmaceuticals, anti-viral therapies, and other appropriate medicines and their distribution to qualified national, regional, or local organizations for the treatment of individuals with HIV/AIDS in accordance with appropriate HIV/AIDS testing and monitoring requirements and for the prevention of transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child. Authorizes $50 million for this purpose.

Authorizes the President to establish an interagency task force to ensure coordination of all Federal programs related to the prevention, treatment, and monitoring of HIV/AIDS in foreign countries.

This bill establishes a permanent Global Health Advisory Board to assist the President and other Federal officials in the administration and implementation of U.S. international health programs, particularly programs relating to the prevention, treatment, and monitoring of HIV/AIDS. Makes certain funds available to carry out this section.

This bill authorizes the U.S. to contribute $750 million to a global health fund or other multilateral efforts to prevent, treat, and monitor HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan African and other developing countries, including efforts to provide hospice and palliative care for individuals with HIV/AIDS.

This bill has 21 co-sponsors. H.R. 2069 passed in the House on December 11, 2001 and currently awaits Senate action.

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