Five nations are standing up for people across the world living with AIDS. And not just standing up, but backing up and, literally, putting money where their mouths (and butts) are.
In an announcement today at the United Nations, France, Brazil, Britain, Norway and Chile will commit to raising at least $300 million by next year, mostly through taxes on airline tickets. The money will help pay for the treatment of children with AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. In all, the five countries predict that this new infusion of cash will pay for the treatment of, at least, 100,000 children with AIDS, another 100,000 people who have become resistent to antiretroviral AIDS drugs, the treatment of 150,000 children with TB and the treatment of 28-million infected with malaria.
In a New York Times quote, Jean Dussourd, a French official responsible for coordinating the project, said, “We would not permit thousands of children to die in the United States and France. Why should we allow that in Asia and Africa?”
All five donor countries promised that this new aid will be in addition to other poverty financing.
For more information on the airline tax to help pay for AIDS treatment go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/world/19health.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/09/18/news/france.php
For information on a new deadly strain of TB go to:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091400740.html
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