COMMITTING TO THEIR COMMITMENTS

AIDS continues to kill 8,000 people around the world each day. More
than 38 million people are now living with HIV, with an increasing
number of new infections among women and girls. Only one in five
people living with HIV have access to prevention and treatment
services. Worldwide, fifteen million children have been orphaned as a
result of AIDS. AIDS is a global emergency and poses one of the most
formidable challenges to the social development, progress and
stability of the world. AIDS takes its heaviest toll among the young
and most productive -- people aged 20 to 40 -- and the epidemic
continues to threaten social stability and national security.

For nearly a decade, G8 leaders have recognized that AIDS,
tuberculosis, malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases slow economic
development, perpetuate poverty and threaten security in large parts
of the world. To this end the G8 has focused attention and resources
on a strengthened response to the surging global AIDS pandemic.
Critical achievements include the creation of the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria at the 2001 Genoa Summit and the
establishment of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise at the 2004 Sea
Island Summit. At last year's G8 Summit in Gleneagles, leaders
committed to getting "as close as possible to universal access to
AIDS treatment by the year 2010." They also pledged to work to reduce
HIV infections significantly with the aim to have an AIDS-free
generation in Africa and to scale up the global response to the
pandemic. In each case, G8 commitments have given impetus to
worldwide efforts to strengthen health systems, increase access to
medicines, expand resources, and they have generated high levels of
media and public attention.

The G8 focus on health in past years has led directly to the
strengthening of UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Program on
HIV/AIDS) and to the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, which to date has obtained pledges of $9
billion to prevent, diagnose and treat these diseases. The support
for the global response to AIDS demonstrated by G8 leaders has been,
and continues to be crucial to getting ahead of the pandemic. Great
strides have been made globally in increasing access to HIV treatment
and prevention services, but the pandemic continues to outpace the
response. We must build on the commitments made last year to make
universal access to HIV treatment, prevention and care a reality.

Consistent with previous G8 actions in recent years, Russia made
infectious diseases, along with energy and education, one of three
priority areas at the 2006 G8 Summit in St. Petersburg. Holding the
G8 presidency provided President Vladimir Putin a unique opportunity
to take the lead in consolidating existing G8 commitments on AIDS and
other infectious diseases.

In advance of the St. Petersburg summit, the leaders of the four key
health policy and financing organizations -- the World Health
Organization, UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria, and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization --
jointly welcomed the focus on infectious diseases and urged the G8
leaders to continue their commitments to improving the health and
lives of people around the world.

To turn the tide of the global AIDS pandemic, countries must set
specific targets for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
There must be evidence-based, itemized plans that are funded through
increased national and international resource allocations. Human
resource capacity must be strengthened to enable health, education
and social systems to mount an effective response. Access to
comprehensive, tested and effective prevention, treatment and care
services must be scaled up. Remaining barriers related to pricing,
tariffs and trade, regulatory policy and research and development
must be removed to speed up access to affordable quality HIV
prevention commodities such as male and female condoms, medicines and
diagnostics. Together, these measures constitute a needed shift from
crisis management to a strategic and sustainable response grounded in
solid political commitment.

Gender inequality, discrimination (in particular stigma based on race
or sexual orientation), social exclusion and denial of human rights
and fundamental freedoms fuel the AIDS epidemic, and must be fully
addressed by governments and all levels of society. Key measures
include the review, amendment and enforcement of legislation to
protect and promote the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS and
those particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. Given the fact that
HIV epidemics in many countries are mainly driven by widespread
intravenous drug use, mostly involving young people, comprehensive
drug use prevention and harm-reduction programs -- including needle
exchange and substitution therapy for injecting drug users living
with HIV -- are necessary.

We welcome Russia's decision to include infectious diseases on the
agenda for the 2006 summit, a decision that led G8 leaders on Sunday
to affirm previous commitments to achieve the global targets set by
the historic United Nations General Assembly Special Session on
HIV/AIDS in 2001 and its Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. At a
high level meeting in New York last month, the General Assembly
adopted a political declaration on HIV/AIDS, following a review of
progress and remaining gaps, which calls for stepped up action in the
fight against AIDS.

Russia's support for a solid G8 commitment on AIDS should be welcomed
by the global community and should also provide critical impetus to
Russia's own response to the epidemic. Russia faces the largest HIV
epidemic in Europe, with more than 350,000 officially registered
cases. However, as Putin pointed out at a meeting of the presidium of
the State Council that addressed AIDS in April, the real number is
much higher. UNAIDS and the World Health Organization estimate that
the number of Russians infected with HIV is 940,000, close to 1
percent of the population. Urgent action is required. Notable
progress has been made: Within the framework of the National Health
Project there have been substantial allocations for prevention,
diagnostics and treatment of HIV and hepatitis -- 3.1 billion rubles
(more than $100 million) for this year alone. In 2007, this amount
will be more than doubled. More is needed, and implementation of the
action points adopted by the State Council, including improved
coordination and expanded prevention, treatment and care services,
will be critical to stem the epidemic.

In the lead-up to the St. Petersburg summit, G8 health ministers met
in Moscow in late April to discuss current global health challenges,
with specific focus on avian flu, AIDS and tuberculosis. In a
commendable move, the executive director of UNAIDS and the director
general of the WHO were invited to join parts of the discussions
along with representatives of the Global Fund and the World Bank.

In a communique, the health ministers recalled the Gleneagles
commitments to universal access and called on UNAIDS and its
cosponsoring agencies, including UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank, to
provide reports and updates on global progress towards this goal,
with the aim of coming as close as possible to universal access to
HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.

The G8 leaders committed themselves in St. Petersburg on Sunday to
deliver on promises made at previous summits. The time to reverse the
spread of AIDS is now. This is the time to step up the fight against
the epidemic; the personal engagement, commitment and support of each
of the G8 leaders will be critical to overcoming the greatest global
challenge of our generation. We know what it takes to turn the tide
against AIDS.

Bertil Lindblad is UNAIDS representative in Russia.