On Dec. 1 we mark World AIDS Day, a moment to acknowledge progress and to remember the 35 million lives taken by this epidemic. It is also a time to recommit to ending this plague.
On the progress side, in September at the worldwide gathering, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria sought $13 billion to tackle these epidemics, with a goal of preventing 300 million new infections and saving eight million lives by 2020.
The United States promised $4.3 billion over three years for that plan and inspired other nations to come up with the rest. It will fall to the new Congress to deliver on the U.S. pledge.
When the Global Fund started in 2002, AIDS was rampant and the goal was to stop as many deaths as possible. Since then the Global Fund has saved 20 million lives.
Now, because of major innovations and scientific advances, this work is not just about preventing deaths any more. It is about ending all three epidemics once and for all.
U.S. support for the Global Fund has always been nonpartisan, crossing party lines when often nothing else could. President George W. Bush made a founding pledge to the Global Fund early in his presidency and continued throughout eight years.
President Obama made three multi-year commitments to the Global Fund and Congress has delivered on all of our pledges so far. It will be up to our new leaders to reaffirm it and help us move closer to the end of the epidemic for good. We are counting on Congress.
Phyllis AlRoy
Ewing Township
