'Globally respected' Alliance praised in UK parliamentary debate

20 January 2005

A debate on the Global Fund in the UK House of Commons held in November 2004 has paid tribute to the Alliance’s work in Ukraine, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Brighton parliamentarian David Leper, in whose constituency the Alliance Secretariat is based, highlighted the work of the Alliance as principal recipient of Global Fund money in Ukraine. He commented that the Alliance’s Ukraine programme has been judged one of the 10 best-organised programmes in a Global Fund country.

He added that 2005 represents a significant opportunity for the UK Government, as it leads both the European Union and G8 presidencies at a time when the millennium development goals are also set to be reviewed. He noted that we are falling short of achieving these goals, and attributed the failure of many G8 nations to respond adequately to AIDS as one of the main reasons for this. He asked the UK government what specific commitments they are considering making during their EU and G8 presidencies to ensure that vital programmes are taken forward to combat all three preventable illnesses [AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria], and the impact of HIV/AIDS.

UK Under-Secretary of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas, also commended the ‘hugely significant’ work of the Alliance. ‘It plays a particularly important role in fighting the stigma and discrimination that still bedevil the fight against AIDS in particular,’ he said. The Under-Secretary acknowledged the need to continue to support the Alliance’s work with men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers.