Kaisernetwork.org (Washington, DC)
2 December 2008
Global Challenges
Bush, Obama Mark World AIDS Day, Discuss HIV/AIDS Fight
[Dec 02, 2008]
President Bush on Monday in honor of World AIDS Day highlighted "his dramatic and widely praised overhaul of U.S. efforts to combat the deadly disease, particularly in Africa," AFP/Google.com reports. President-elect Barack Obama on Monday also praised the Bush administration for its involvement in global HIV/AIDS efforts and pledged to continue the fight against the disease once he takes office in January (AFP/Google.com, 12/1). According to Bush, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has reached its goal of providing antiretroviral drugs to two million people over five years (Feller, AP/USA Today, 12/1). Bush said, "When you have somebody say there's a pandemic, that you can help, and you do nothing about it, then you have, frankly, disgraced the office" (AFP/Google.com, 12/1).
Bush on Monday also participated in the Rev. Rick Warren's first Civil Forum on Global Health to discuss his work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Warren said, "No world leader has done more for global health than President George Bush," adding, "We need to recognize that." Warren also presented Bush with the first International Medal of PEACE for his efforts associated with PEPFAR (Ritchie, Orange County Register, 12/1).
In videotaped remarks played at the forum, Obama said, "I salute President Bush for his leadership in crafting a plan for AIDS relief in Africa and backing it up with funding dedicated to saving lives and preventing the spread of the disease," adding, "And my administration will continue this critical work to address the crisis around the world" (Sanner, AP/Yahoo! News, 12/1). In addition, Obama said that because of the work of PEPFAR, "women in Kenya who were widowed by the disease, and once shunned by society, have banded together to support and empower each other. Scientists around the world are discovering and engineering new medicines to give people with HIV/AIDS another chance at life. NGOs and faith-based institutions are marshaling the best of the human spirit to help those affected. And world governments are coming together to address the humanitarian crisis the pandemic has left in its wake" (Rhee, "Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 12/1). In addition, Obama said that the U.S. "must also recommit ourselves to addressing the AIDS crisis here in the United States with a strong national strategy of education, prevention and treatment, focusing on those communities at greatest risk." He added, "This strategy must be based on the best available science and built on the foundation of a strong health care system." According to Obama, "in the end, this epidemic can't be stopped by government alone, and money alone is not the answer either" (AFP/Google.com,[2] 12/1).
Other political figures who praised Bush's work on HIV/AIDS included former President Clinton, who, in a message that was read to the gathering, said, "I think as time passes, people will look back on this as one of your most remarkable contributions, Mr. President." Irish musician and HIV/AIDS advocate Bono also called Bush "a hero" for his work on the disease (Ward/Dinan, Washington Times, 12/2).
Broadcast Coverage
The following highlights broadcast coverage of World AIDS Day.
ABC's "World News Webcast": The segment includes comments from five ABC digital reporters who discuss HIV/AIDS in India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya and South Korea (Gibson, "World News Tonight," ABC, 12/1). Video of the segment is available online.
CBS' "Early Show": The segment includes comments from Marvelyn Brown, author of the book "The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful and HIV-Positive" and several HIV-positive people (Rodriguez, "Early Show," CBS, 12/1). Video of the segment is available online.
NBC's "Today Show": The segment features musician John Legend, who discusses (RED)WIRE, an online music magazine that donates a portion of subscription fees to HIV/AIDS efforts (Robach/Rocker, "Today Show," NBC, 12/1). Video of the segment is available online.
NPR's "Talk of the Nation": The segment includes comments from HIV/AIDS researcher Robert Gallo (Conan, "Talk of the Nation," NPR, 12/1). Audio of the segment is available online.
PRI's "The World": The segment includes comments from Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator who administers PEPFAR; Craig Usswald, manager of PEPFAR's drug supply system; and Jyoti Schlesinger, former PEPFAR head in Cote d'Ivoire (Baron, "The World," PRI, 12/1). Audio of the segment is available online. A transcript of the segment and expanded coverage are available online.
PRI's "The World": The segment includes comments from HIV policy expert and epidemiologist Elizabeth Pisani (Mullins, "The World," PRI, 12/1). Audio of the segment is available online.
WBUR's "Here and Now": The segment includes comments from Negar Akhavi, editor of the book "AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India"; and Nalini Jones, an author who wrote an essay for the book (Young, "Here and Now," WBUR, 12/1). Audio of the segment is available online.
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Michel Sidibe Appointed Next Executive Director of UNAIDS
[Dec 02, 2008]
Michel Sidibe will succeed Peter Piot as the next executive director of UNAIDS on Jan. 1, 2009, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced Monday to coincide with World AIDS Day, Bloomberg reports (Varner, Bloomberg, 12/1). Ban made the announcement at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Doha, Qatar (AFP/Google.com, 12/1).
According to Ban, Sidibe "brings a wealth of experience together with a firm commitment to human rights and to greater involvement of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS." Sidibe, who is from Mali, has served as deputy executive director of UNAIDS for the past two years and began working for the organization in 2001 as a director of country and regional support. According to the United Nations, Sidibe "transformed UNAIDS into a more focused, efficient and effective joint program for delivering country-level results" when he joined the agency. During his tenure as deputy executive director, Sidibe managed more than 70% of UNAIDS's budget and personnel, seven regional support teams and 81 country offices, according to the United Nations (Bloomberg, 12/1). Before joining UNAIDS, Sidibe for 14 years worked at UNICEF, where he managed an immunization program for 30 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and also worked in Burundi, Swaziland and Uganda.
Sidibe in January will succeed Piot, who has led the agency since its inception in 1995. Piot in April announced his intention to resign his post at the end of the year. Ban in June said that Piot is a "tireless leader who has been at the vanguard of the response to AIDS since the earliest days of the epidemic" (Reuters, 12/1).
Piot said, "The leadership of UNAIDS is in very capable hands. UNAIDS has a vital role to play in sustaining the progress made in the global response on AIDS." Sidibe said that the "AIDS epidemic is not over in any part of the world. We have to ensure that there is strong and long term leadership and financial commitment to respond to AIDS that is grounded in evidence and human rights" (UNAIDS release, 12/1).
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AP/International Herald Tribune Examines Progress In Reducing Number of African Infants Born With HIV
[Dec 02, 2008]
The AP/International Herald Tribune on Sunday examined how "after years of despair, Africa is making progress in protecting unborn [infants] from AIDS -- and in prolonging the life of the parents." According to a United Nations report titled "Children and AIDS" and published for World AIDS Day, the number of pregnant women receiving antiretrovirals in low- and middle-income countries has tripled in the past three years. In addition, increased donor interest and funding has made such gains even more impressive in some countries. Outgoing UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot, said, "The prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is not only effective, but also a human right. We are seeing good progress in many countries, especially in parts of Africa, but we need to significantly scale up HIV testing and treatment for pregnant women."
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