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Progress against HIV has been impressive in recent years but continuing it requires sustained funding from the international community, the world's leading HIV experts warned Sunday during the first day of the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna."Let us rejoice in the fact that today we have treatments that work, what we need is the political will to go the extra mile to deliver universal access," said Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS Society.
A key point of reference is a 2005 commitment by the G-8 nations to pursue HIV prevention, treatment, and care while providing universal access to the fullest extent possible. Although subsequent communication reiterated this commitment, these targets likely will not be met, the G-8 leaders conceded after meeting this summer in Canada. AIDS spending by the G-8 and other rich countries fell to $7.6 billion in 2009 from $7.7 the previous year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS.
Protesters delayed the start of the conference with demonstrations and expressions of frustration such as, "Broken promises kill; show us the money."
In addition to funding, another issue likely to confront the 20,000 expected attendees is the HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe. The spread of HIV there is being fueled by injection drug use, and attendees have endorsed strategies such as decriminalizing drugs, particularly, but not exclusively in Eastern Europe, as a way to curtail the epidemic.
The absence of some Eastern European leaders from the meeting was "irresponsible to the point of criminal negligence," Montaner said. Nevertheless, the first day featured upbeat messages from speakers such as UNAIDS goodwill ambassador Annie Lennox and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "Universal access must remain our beacon - access to lifesaving drugs, access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support," Ban said.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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