Opinion - News Analysis   

G8 failing Africa on AIDS

Sarah Boseley

UNITED NATIONS special envoy Stephen Lewis on Thursday accused the G8 countries of betraying Africa by their failure to find the money to fulfil their Gleneagles promise on the treatment, care, and prevention of AIDS.

In a speech at the international AIDS conference in Toronto, Mr. Lewis said that African governments attempting to treat their citizens were struggling with the cost and their chief fear was that the money from donor countries would dry up. The G8 committed the rich world to fund universal access to drug treatment for AIDS by 2010.

"The promises made by the G8 at Gleneagles are unravelling — all of them," said Mr. Lewis, a former Canadian ambassador to the U.N. "The amount of money promised for AIDS by 2010 will not be there. [The U.K.'s] Gordon Brown and Tony Blair are now admitting that publicly.

"The G8 is doing what it always does to Africa, which is to betray Africa as soon as the commitments are made." —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

A critical, quality debate
The confession of Gunter Grass
Will the fragile peace last in Lebanon?
What the U.S. is doing to Pakistan
Corrections and clarifications
Muslim community tries where government has failed
The remarkable rise of documentary cinema
G8 failing Africa on AIDS
Nuclear deal
Stretching the limits
The cola controversy

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu