AIDS activists from 21 african countries launch pan-african HIV/AIDs treatment access movement At World Summit on Sustainable Development, Activists Demand Access to Af= fordable HIV/AIDS Treatment for all Africans with HIV/AIDS Activists to Hold Governments, Multilateral Agencies, and the Private Sec= tor Accountable for Meeting WHO Target of at Least 3 Million People in De= veloping World on ARV Treatment by 2005 26 August 2002 (Cape Town) - Against the backdrop of the World Summit on = Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, over 70 Afr= ican AIDS activists from 21 countries met in Cape Town from 22-24 August = to inaugurate the Pan-African HIV/AIDS Treatment Access Movement (PHATAM)= .1 PHATAM's co-founders are two of the world's leading AIDS activists, Z= ackie Achmat of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in South Africa and M= illy Katana, lobbying and advocacy officer of the Health Rights Action Gr= oup in Uganda and member of Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, a= nd Malaria. PHATAM is dedicated to mobilising communities, political lead= ers, and all sectors of society to ensure access to antiretroviral (ARV) = treatment, as a fundamental part of comprehensive care for all people wit= h HIV/AIDS in Africa. =20 "We are angry. Our people are dying," said Milly Katana. "We can no long= er accept millions of needless AIDS deaths simply because we are poor Afr= icans. We know ARV treatment is feasible in our countries and are launch= ing a movement to demand ARV treatment that won't take 'no' for an answer= ." =20 PHATAM representatives will attend the WSSD to submit a Declaration of Ac= tion with demands of African governments, wealthy country governments, mu= ltilateral institutions, and the private sector, including the pharmaceut= ical industry. "The world leaders meeting in Johannesburg must recognise = that without a healthy population we cannot have development. Health is a= prerequisite for sustainable development-and access to AIDS treatment in= Africa is the key to improving health," said Zackie Achmat. "We are uni= ted in our commitment to ensure that millions of lives are saved on our c= ontinent. The role of the Movement is to hold national and international = bodies accountable to obligations such as the immediate development and i= mplementation of national HIV/AIDS treatment plans." (Note: see below for= listing of upcoming PHATAM campaign events.) At PHATAM's inaugural meeting, activists assessed the gaps in their count= ries' HIV/AIDS policies and programmes, noting in particular the scarcity= of ARV treatment programmes. "It's true you have African governments, = even wealthy countries, talking about mother-to-child-transmission preven= tion-which is vital as it provides the entry point to both treatment and = prevention-but we're asking 'What about the mothers and the rest of the f= amily?'" continued Katana. "We need to find treatment for them quickly-l= ike yesterday-to save their lives and to reverse the tide of the growing = orphan epidemic in Africa."=20 PHATAM called for African countries to implement the World Trade Organisa= tion's Declaration, signed at the Doha Ministerial Meeting, on the TRIPS = Agreement and Public Health, and insisted that the U.S. and other wealthy= countries allow countries with limited pharmaceutical manufacturing capa= city to purchase low-cost, generic versions of patented medicines from ex= porting countries once WTO rules on patents have been fully implemented. = =20 "Pharmaceutical industry profiteering and patent abuse has caused enough = death and suffering across our continent. Our governments must take the c= ue from the WTO, which has finally put public health ahead of the patent = rights of the super-profitable pharmaceutical companies," said Dr. John W= asonga of the Kenya Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines. "But we = need every possible option to save our people, from local production of q= uality generic ARVs to buying medicines in bulk that have been exported f= rom generic companies in Asia, Latin America and other places. We cannot = afford to squander money on costly patented medicines while our people ar= e dying." "While a necessary component of the response to HIV/AIDS, prevention will= never be enough," added Winston Zulu of the Network of Zambian People Li= ving with HIV/AIDS (NZP+). "When will the world wake up to the fact that= the 16 million Africans that have already died of HIV/AIDS? This is only= the beginning if we continue down the prevention-only path. This movemen= t will make treatment, which we all know strengthens prevention efforts, = our priority demand." =20 Delegates also emphasized the need for nutritional support, treatment of = opportunistic infections, rebuilding of public health care and eliminatio= n of new HIV infections but agreed that treatment with ARVs must be prior= itised. "HIV/AIDS treatment education is power," said Olayide Akanni of the Niger= ia Treatment Access Coalition. "Africans will work together to create si= mple, accessible treatment information on all aspects of HIV/AIDS care an= d treatment. We must be empowered with the life-saving information we nee= d to demand proper treatment from our health-care providers, governments,= and workplaces." =20 "People with HIV/AIDS in Africa are fed up with the international communi= ty's broken promises," said Dr. Eric Goemaere, Head of Mission for M=E9de= cins Sans Fronti=E8res (MSF) in South Africa, which is now providing ARV = therapy in Khayelitsha, a poor township in the Western Cape. "They are t= ired of hearing about pilot projects. The time to scale-up is long overdu= e and this will only be possible with political action at the national an= d international level. This community-based movement must provoke the ne= cessary political response." Immediate actions of PHATAM include:=20 9 October: PHATAM is calling for a Global Day of Protests to demand that= donor countries make contributions proportionate to their wealth to the = Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). Activists wi= ll also call for the prioritisation of treatment by the GFATM and the act= ive involvement of people with HIV/AIDS in GFATM Country Coordinating Mec= hanisms. =20 17 October: PHATAM will participate in a Global Day of Action Against Coc= a-Cola and other multinational companies to demand ARV treatment for all = HIV-positive workers and their families. =20 1 December, World AIDS Day: PHATAM is calling for a Global Day for Access= to HIV/AIDS Treatment. =20 For more information, please contact:=20 In Cape Town, Sipho Mthati +27 (0)72 424 7180 In Johannesburg, at the WSSD Mark Heywood +27 (0)83 634 8806 In Johannesburg, at the WSSD Winston Zulu +27 (0)72 267 9985 Countries represented: Botswana, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Repub= lic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambi= que, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, U= ganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Convening organisations: AIDS Consortium - South Africa; AIDS Law Projec= t (ALP) - South Africa; AIDS Law Unit: Legal Assistance Centre - Namibia;= Catholic AIDS Action - Namibia; Coping Centre for People with AIDS (COCE= PWA) - Botswana; Kara Counselling and Training Trust - Zambia; M=E9decins= Sans Fronti=E8res (MSF); Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS = (NZP+) - Zambia; Network of Zimbabwean Positive Women - Zimbabwe; Treatme= nt Action Campaign (TAC) - South Africa; and Women and AIDS Support Netwo= rk (WASN) - Zimbabwe.