How the world can conquer AIDS

By Kofi A. Annan

In the 25 years since the first case was reported, AIDS has changed the world. It has killed 25 million people and infected 40 million more. It has become the world's leading cause of death among both women and men ages 15 to 59. It has inflicted the single greatest reversal in the history of human development. In other words, it has become the greatest challenge of our generation.
(AFP/Getty Images)

For far too long, the world was in denial. But over the past 10 years, attitudes have changed. The world has started to take the fight against AIDS as seriously as it deserves.
Financial resources are being committed as never before, people have access to anti-retroviral treatment as never before, and several countries are managing to fight the spread as never before. Now, as the number of infections continues unabated, we need to mobilize political will as never before.

The creation of UNAIDS a decade ago, bringing together the strengths and resources of many different parts of the United Nations family, was a milestone in transforming the way the world responds to AIDS. And five years ago, all U.N. member states reached a new milestone by adopting the Declaration of Commitment — containing specific, far-reaching and time-bound targets for fighting the epidemic.

My priority
That same year, as I made HIV/AIDS a priority in my work as secretary-general, I called for the creation of a "war chest" of an additional $7 billion to $10 billion a year. Today, I am deeply proud to be patron of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has channeled almost $3 billion to programs across the globe. Recently, we have seen significant additional funding from bilateral donors, national treasuries, civil society and other sources. But much more is needed; by 2010, total needs for a comprehensive AIDS response will exceed $20 billion a year.

Because the response has started to gain real momentum, the stakes are higher now than ever. We cannot risk letting the advances that have been achieved unravel; we must not jeopardize the heroic efforts of so many. The challenge now is to deliver on all the promises that governments have made. Leaders must hold themselves accountable — and be held accountable by all of us.

Accountability — the theme of World AIDS Day on Friday — requires every president and prime minister, every parliamentarian and politician, to decide and declare that "AIDS stops with me." It requires them to strengthen protection for all vulnerable groups — whether people living with HIV, young people, sex workers, injecting drug users, or men who have sex with men. It requires them to work hand in hand with civil society groups, who are so crucial to the struggle. It requires them to work for real, positive change that will transform relations between women and men at all levels of society.

What is required of us
But accountability applies not only to those who hold positions of power. It also applies to all of us. It requires business leaders to work for HIV prevention in the workplace and in the wider community, and to care for affected workers and their families. It requires health workers, community leaders and faith-based groups to listen and care, without passing judgment. It requires fathers, husbands, sons and brothers to support and affirm the rights of women. It requires teachers to nurture the dreams and aspirations of girls. It requires men to help ensure that other men assume their responsibility — and understand that real manhood means protecting others from risk. It requires every one of us to help bring AIDS out of the shadows, and spread the message that silence is death.

I will soon be stepping down as secretary-general of the United Nations. But as long as I have strength, I will keep spreading that message. That is why World AIDS Day will always be special to me.

On this World AIDS Day, let us vow to keep the promise — not only this day, or this year, or next year — but every day, until the epidemic is conquered.

[Kofi A. Annan is secretary-general of the United Nations.]

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I came across this article the other day and thought everyone might find it interesting, especially ahead of World Aids Day. Happy Campaigning

--AK

(text courtesy of USA Today - See original article here)

Bono Meets Japanese Prime Minister

Wednesday, Bono met with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, asking him to continue Japan's efforts to help the developing world.

Bono's remarks after the meeting:

"I found Prime Minister Abe to be a very warm man, very interested in these issues. I was surprised that he gave me twice the time allocated to the meeting to talk about AIDS and extreme poverty."

"We are coming up to World AIDS Day on Friday. This is a great chance to talk about the fact that the Global Fund was given birth to here in Japan at the Okinawa G8 Summit in 2000. I told Prime Minister Abe this is one of the greatest ideas of the 21st century. There are now over half a million people alive in the poorest countries because of this idea. A Japanese idea."

"On tour, we've met a lot of young people looking for meaning in a meaningless world. They think it's mad that 8,000 people are dying a day of AIDS, a preventable, treatable disease, that 5,000 people are dying a day, mainly children, of a mosquito bite from malaria. In Japan they have a word for their reply to this madness, it's 'hottokenai'."

"Under the previous Prime Minister, Mr Koizumi, Japan promised to double aid to Africa. Prime Minister Abe said he would do everything he can to keep this promise, despite the real economic difficulties he faces. We talked about the G8 meeting in Japan in 2008 and how this is an opportunity to show the rest of the world what Japan stands for."

[Text courtesy of GCAP-USA; The ONE Campaign]

Can We?

With all the talk of us being the first generation with the actual capacity to eradicate extreme poverty from the face of our planet... what ive been wanting to find out is whether the bulk of us truly believes it is possible...?

Or do we believe that fighting such a mighty battle is an waste of time...?

It is also possible that some of us genuinely don't care, i mean its not like we all dont have our own problems, right...?

Maybe we believe that we have worked hard to achieve what we have so far, and that people who are poor should do the same...?

It costs too much...?

Not my country's problem...?

Perhaps some of us have grown up oblivious to the extreme sufferings of others and just dont know what it is to suffer from 'extreme poverty'...?

Or maybe some of us believe that we should follow the example of those that have become complacent with extreme poverty and now accept it as something that is and always will be...?

Tons of possiblities...but what do you believe? and more importantly why?

--

AK

Tackling Poverty with Education

Fact: Poverty around the world is restricting the potential of a whole generation of children & youth.
Fact: The lack of education, in turn, contributes more towards extreme poverty.
Fact: For the first time ever, an end to extreme poverty worldwide, is possible
Fact: This task lies on our shoulders and we must all take responsibility for contributing to this goal: governments, organisations, businesses and individuals alike, because if we don't ask for it, then nothing will be done.

‘Save the Children’ is one of the thousands of organizations that share these thoughts. 'Save the Children' is a leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need around the world. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, comprising 27 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 100 countries.
'Save the Children' strives to ensure the well-being of impoverished children all around the world.

Education plays a key part of this work. Education saves lives by teaching children: how to protect themselves from danger; about good nutrition; disease prevention; improves their chances of making a successfull living; and through this helps them escape extreme poverty. Schools, in many cases, also provide a safe zone for children affected by armed conflict.

So it is not so much about charity but about delivering justice. Poverty is a vicious cycle which education has the capacity to break. If you feed a child suffering from the many attrocities of extreme poverty, he/she will live for a day. Educate that child and he or she will build their own way out of poverty, will contribute towards the community and the overall uplifting of that society.

Poverty restricts access to the very education that would eraddicate it. For millions of children living in poor communities, the costs of school fees and school uniforms is far too high, especially when their more basic necessities like food and water can barely be met.

Yet education is vital to lift the wellbeing of poor communities, 'Save the Children' provides support from: drop in centres where working children can access education, to building schools and training teachers in rural communities with no school facilities. It runs early childhood education classes in some of the most difficult environments children live in: for example, in the Dauladtia brothel community in Bangladesh. The children start to learn through play as well as receiving nutritional supplements that help keep them healthy.

Executive Director of Save the Children in New Zealand, John Bowis, said, "While we call on all organisations and individuals to help in the battle to end poverty – it is essential that governments, play their part in particular, as a large donor, and lift aid contributions."

Save the Children is a member of the GCAP (Make Poverty History) coalition, and like thousands of other organizations, have joined forces to strive to eradicate extreme poverty together.

Daamini Shrivastav,

Rohit Hariharan,

& AK.