Religious leaders pressure G8 on HIV commitments
17. June 2010
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Rabbi David Rosen, and HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar are among 37 leaders from the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh traditions who have sent this week a strongly worded letter to the G8 heads of state to “push forward rather than back on your past commitments on HIV and AIDS.”
In particular, the leaders highlight the G8’s unmet 2005 pledge to provide Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. “Despite some progress in expanding access to antiretroviral treatment,” they state, “the stark reality of this failure means that 1.7 million adults and 280,000 children died as a result of AIDS in 2008 and 11 million people living with HIV today are still waiting for life-saving treatment, including hundreds of thousands of children.”
Other signers of the letter include Ms. Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, general secretary of the World YWCA; Swami Agnivesh, president of the World Council of Arya Samaj; The Rev. Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; The Most Rev. John Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria; Most Ven. Choijiljav Dambajav, Vice-President, World Fellowship of Buddhists; Mohammad Sammak, general secretary of the Christian-Muslim Committee for Dialogue; Very Rev. Dr. Richard W. Fee, general secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Canada; Bishop Gunnar Stålsett, moderator of the European Council of Religious Leaders; Bishop Gerald Seale, chair of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Task Force on HIV; Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha; Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly; Right Rev. John Christie, Moderator of the Church of Scotland; and the Most Rev. Dr. Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.
The letter calls on the leaders of the G8 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russa, the United Kingdom and the United States) to back their political commitment with sufficient financial resources, which they have not done over the last five years. The annual summit for G8 heads of state will be held in Canada 24-25 June 2010, and will be followed by a Summit of the G20.
In the letter, the leaders point out that many religious communities are active in the response to HIV and AIDS and themselves fund significant programs. The challenge is also then on themselves: “It is only when we all pull together to scale up both action and financial commitment that people living with HIV will receive the treatment and support they need to live life to the full, without stigma and discrimination; that fewer people will become infected with the virus; and that Universal Access will be achieved.”
The letter from religious leaders echoes a letter to Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, signed by over 50 faith-based organizations. The letter asked Prime Minister Harper, as host of this year’s Summit, for support in securing a recommitment to the Universal Access goal. Over 40 religious organizations also signed a letter to G8 and G20 leaders calling for them to fulfill their 2009 pledge called the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative” as an essential element in ensuring the right to food for all, including people living with HIV.
The full text of the letters with the list of signatures can be found at http://www.e-alliance.ch/en/s/hivaids/accountability/g8/
For more information contact: Sara Speicher, sspeicher@who-needs-spam.e-alliance.ch, +44 7821 860 723.
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is a broad international network of churches and Christian organizations cooperating in advocacy on food and HIV and AIDS. The Alliance is based in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information, see http://www.e-alliance.ch/
