HIV/AIDS Commission Launch - Ethiopia Sept03

This week's launch of a UN Commission on HIV/Aids and governance in Africa, is a welcome initiative that will go some way to help the 40 million people suffering from HIV/Aids in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As draftsman for the European Parliament's report on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in Developing Countries, I hope that the newly formed commission will build on my recommendation to ...

inability to secure treatment through lack of access to medicines, and social exclusion, especially of women, disables the workforce and increases poverty risking stability in developing countries,

Calls on governments in the developing world to allocate an appropriate level of national resources to health;

Calls on the Member States to abolish tariffs and taxes on exports of essential drugs and equipment to developing countries in order to make health care in the developing countries more affordable

Calls on all major pharmaceutical manufacturers of essential life-saving medicines to continue to collaborate with the EU and governments of the developing countries to offer, as a first step, further reductions (tiered pricing) in order to reach marginal costs, and as a second step, to implement a global tiered pricing system

While hundreds die from HIV/AIDS each day because they are denied access to essential medicines, corrupt dictators continue to fund their own lavish lifestyles. 

I hope that the people of Africa will reject and remove the dictators who deprive and disgrace them. Altruistic pledges of more aid will be wasted until all of us in Europe and beyond have the courage to help Africa in achieving this aim.