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May 2003

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From:
Joshua Rhein [log in to unmask]
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Date:
Mon, 12 May 2003 11:24:41 -0500
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----Original Message Follows----
From: Stop Global AIDS Action Network <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Urge Senator Coleman to Fight AIDS SEND EMAIL~a6507u2301t0~
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 07:00:04 -0700 (PDT)

ACTION ALERT!

URGE SENATOR COLEMAN TO COSPONSOR S. 1009, AND TO SUPPORT DEBT RELIEF
AS PART OF THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS.

ACTION IS EXPECTED IN THE FULL SENATE MAY 15 - THIS THURSDAY!

==> HIT YOUR REPLY BUTTON NOW TO AUTOMATICALLY SEND AN EMAIL TO YOUR
SENATORS

==> PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL COLEMAN'S OFFICE - IT JUST TAKES A
FEW MINUTES!
(202) 224-5641 - ask for Chief of Staff Tom Mason
==> FAX HIM A LETTER (SEE SAMPLE BELOW) to 202-224-1152 (fax)

Dear Senator Coleman:

I believe AIDS is a crisis affecting all humanity and that the US
must do its fair share to help combat it.

As your constituent, I urge you to ensure the FY 2004 budget
includes adequate funds to fight AIDS. At a minimum, I hope you will
co-sponsor S 1009, being considered later this week, and I urge you
to support the Santorum-Biden debt relief amendment to the bill to
make sure more debt relief is provided to help stop AIDS and
poverty. Please also help ensure the level of funding in S 1009 is
actually appropriated.

Health experts agree that bold action is needed, beyond what the
President has proposed for FY 2004. A fair share from the US would
be $3.5 billion for direct services to combat AIDS. This is an
amount would help encourage contributions from other wealthy nations
as well as meet the desperate need of programs around the world.
This money needs to be provided for programs that have a balanced,
flexible approach to AIDS prevention that takes into account the
impact of the crisis on women and girls.

A balanced approach is vital to our success, and so I urge you to
fully support the super-efficient Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and
Malaria. The Global Fund is a fast and reliable mechanism that can
truly save lives. Yet, the Fund is running out of resources. So I
ask you to support providing $1.7 billion of the $3.5 billion to the
Global Fund, and I urge you to call for an Emergency Supplemental
Budget for FY 2003 that includes $500 million for the Global Fund.

Because of the seriousness of the orphans crisis, I also urge you to
support providing $300 million of the total figure for services and
programs for children orphaned by AIDS. These children are counting
on the United States to do its utmost.

I also urge you to support full funding for programs to address the
serious AIDS epidemic in our own country, including programs that
ensure access to AIDS medications.

There is no question these resources can be productively used right
away. So, please use my tax dollars to help stop these diseases of
mass destruction. Keep me informed of your decisions in this matter.

Sincerely, YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS


BACKGROUND: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dick Lugar
(R-IN),
ranking Democrat Joe Biden (D-DE), and global health leader Senator
John
Kerry (D-MA), have just introduced S 1009, a strong AIDS, TB and
malaria
authorizing bill.

This bill recommends significantly increased spending to fight these
global
diseases. It will not provide actual funds, but if it passes it will
help us
make the argument to the Congressional committees which *can*
actually
provide funds that the Congress backs higher spending.

Senate action is expected quickly, with the full Senate scheduled to
act on
the matter next Thursday May 15.  At that time, Senate Majority
Leader Frist
is expected to urge the Senate to approve what the House passed last
week,
HR 1298.  Other Senators will back S 1009, which in most respects is
better.
Then there will be votes on the competing bills.

HR 1298 is a step forward, but it does not contain adequate language
for
deeper debt relief.  Plus, it's support for the Global Fund is still
too
weak and there are urealistic and unnecessary provisions regarding
abstinence as a method of AIDS prevention, as well as other
provisions.

Senators Santorum and Biden will offer an amendment for deeper debt
cancellation to become part of the Senate AIDS bill,
whichever version is approved.  We need to garner support for the
Santorum/Biden amendment that would actually double existing debt
relief for
qualifying countries. The amendment would ensure that the bill
requires (not
just recommends) deeper debt relief.

To find out who your Senator is, visit: www.senate.gov  To call the
Capitol
Switchboard, dial 202-224-3121 and ask for your Senator by name.
Ask for
the staff person who handles issues of foreign aid and debt relief.
Be sure
to say where you are calling from.  Ask them to co-sponsor S 1009
and to
support the Santorum/Biden debt relief amendment.  Tell them you
support
designating 10% of authorized funds for programs to meet the needs of
orphaned children.  Also fax a letter to the Senators' offices.

Overview of Lugar-Biden-Kerry bill, S 1009:
--------------------------------------------------

-- Recommends $1 billion for the Global Fund in 2004 and $1.2
billion in
2005, with $500 million in 2004 and $600 million in 2005 as
guaranteed
minimum funding, and the rest authorized to be provided by the U.S.
on a
"matching grant" basis, with the US able to provide up to 33% of
total
funding.

-- Calls for $2.8 billion overall to fight AIDS, TB and  malaria in
2004 and
$3.2 billion in 2005.

-- Leaves out problematic abstinence-related provisions that were
included
in the House bill.


Overview of the Santorum/Biden debt relief amendment:
-------------------------------------------------------

-- Nearly DOUBLES current debt relief for the world's poorest
nations by
cutting an additional $1 Billion in both bilateral and multilateral
debt
service annually

-- Adds to the current criteria for "debt sustainability" by saying
no
country that currently qualifies for HIPC debt relief should pay
more than
5% of its budget on debt service annually (10% if the country has no
health
emergency)

-- Allows the poorest countries to redirect more of their scarce
revenues
into increased spending on education, health and the crucial fight
against
HIV/AIDS

===

Why support the Global Fund?

The Global Fund is the most efficient way to get help fast to people
with AIDS in Africa and elsewhere. Grants by the Global Fund are
putting half a million people on life-saving anti-retroviral drugs
and supporting a 6-fold increase in the number of people in Africa
receiving these drugs. Supporting the Global Fund is the best way to
leverage Europe and other nations to do their fair share to fight
AIDS.

With info from www.results.org and www.jubileeusa.org




Encourage others to call for an end to the global AIDS crisis
by joining the Stop Global AIDS Action Network at
http://takeaction.stopglobalaids.org/join.asp
And, be sure to visit our Partner Groups at
http://www.stopglobalaids.com/partners/index.html
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