Dear Mr. President,
Thank you for your leadership on the domestic and global effort to begin to end HIV/AIDS.
We write as organizations dedicated to the fight against HIV/AIDS here in the U.S. and around the world to ask that you make use of this World AIDS Day to re-commit the Administration to winning the fight against AIDS. Since you took office the science of AIDS has been transformed and there are important ways in which the Administration is partnering with countries around the world and states and communities here in the U.S. to get control of the epidemic. We hope you will take a moment to highlight these successes and commit the Administration to moving all communities in the U.S. and in PEPFAR countries to this turning point in HIV/AIDS.
Specifically we hope you will explore the following themes during a World AIDS Day event:
- From the poorest countries in the world to U.S. states and cities on the vanguard of universal access to medical care, a radical public health transformation is taking hold. Rates of HIV transmission are dropping and people with HIV are getting healthier and living longer. The evidence is mounting that broad based access to high-quality healthcare dramatically mitigates HIV/AIDS.
- Success is being achieved most rapidly where partners are committed to going to scale jointly with U.S. Government support for local leadership to drive transformative change.
- Data from CDC, HHS, and the State Department show that some countries and states and communities are getting control of their epidemics where people are thinking big and focusing on what works-U.S. taxpayer funded efforts are leveraging success by providing the missing pieces.
- Other countries and communities are seeing serious improvements and need help to leap forward and cross the tipping point where combination prevention interventions start to bring the epidemic under control.
- A few communities and countries are far off track and there we need to redouble efforts to help them catch up.
- When the U.S. federal government sets new targets and goals, others step up with it and there is progress.
- With new PEPFAR targets on treatment and prevention the U.S. government can promise to do its part bilaterally and continue to challenge country governments to do theirs. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria is the model of this cooperation and with a 1:2 match the U.S. is challenging other donors to step up.
- With a renewed federal commitment to meet National HIV/AIDS Strategy objectives, states know they will be supported in their efforts to stop this epidemic in its tracks. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy has led to important policy reforms and inspired public, private and community sectors to focus on accomplishing improved outcomes in the epidemic.
- The United States is committed to replicating success throughout the country and the world.
- These efforts are driven by human needs and breakthrough science.
- The Administration is ordering an alignment of domestic and global investments behind what works-taking treatment, prevention and care to scale, reaching hard to reach groups, and putting local leaders in charge.
A high profile World AIDS Day event could:
- Bring heads of state together with federal, state and community leaders to show that transformation in the AIDS pandemic happens when leadership is shared;
- Highlight U.S. government action through domestic (Ryan White, PPACA), bilateral (PEPFAR), and multilateral (Global Fund) channels;
- Continue to document progress towards the goals of the PEPFAR Blueprint for an AIDS-Free Generation, and share exciting new evidence that we can succeed;
- Announce nomination for new U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.
Thank you for your consideration.
African Services Committee
AIDS Community Research Initiative of America
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
AIDS United
American Jewish World Service
American Psychological Association
amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention
The Black AIDS Institute
Center for Health and Gender Equity
Clare Housing
Community Access National Network
Endgame Campaign
FHI 360
Georgia Equality
Georgia HIV Advocacy Network
The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF)
The Global Justice Institute
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
HealthHIV
HIV Medicine Association
HIV Prevention Justice Alliance
Human Rights Campaign
IDSA Center for Global Health Policy
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
International HIV/AIDS Alliance USA
International Women's Health Coalition
The Latino Commission on AIDS
Lifelong
Metropolitan Community Churches
National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors
National Coalition of STD Directors
Positive Women's Network - USA
Project Inform
RESULTS Global Delaware Valley/New Jersey
Southern HIV/AIDS Strategy Initiative
Student Global AIDS Campaign
Test Positive Aware Network
Treatment Action Group
VillageCare