Director of the Global Fund, Michel D. Kazatchkine on Funding an AIDS Free Generation

Guest blog by Michel D. Kazatchkine, Global Fund Executive Director 

On World AIDS Day 2011, Michel Kazatchkine blogged for the Huffington Post reminding us that delivering an AIDS Free Generation will take continued and increased funding, and that each person can do his or her part by buying (RED), joining ONE, or donating directly to the Global Fund through joinred.com. You can read his piece below:

In a modern, globalized world, the country in which you live or the income you earn should not determine whether or not your child will become HIV positive. And yet in my country, France, only three babies were infected last year with HIV during their mothers' pregnancy, labor, delivery, or when breastfeeding, while globally, 390,000 babies were born HIV-positive, most of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. Without medical intervention, nearly half of these babies will die before their second birthday.

In 2012, we can and must do better. We can prevent millions of new infections, and get ahead of the AIDS epidemic because it costs less than $1 per day to give a mother medicine to prevent this type of transmission. That is why the global health community has set its sights on the virtual elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015. Reaching this goal is possible if we increase funding so that every woman living with HIV has access to the life-saving drugs she needs. Since 2000, the Global Fund has assisted over one million pregnant women in this way. This is a great achievement but sadly, we are still reaching only half of those who need our help. To achieve the goal of an "AIDS free generation" resources are the key. Simply stated: without resources, there are no results.

It was the administration of George W. Bush that established the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and provided funds for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Both have enjoyed widespread bi-partisan support in Congress. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has continued US leadership in the fight and recently announced the Obama Administration's support for an AIDS free generation by 2015.

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