A draft G8 communiqué leaked to the Financial Times on June 30th has raised concerns this group of rich and powerful countries are set to betray their promises to Stop AIDS at their annual meeting, this year being hosted by Japan.

An ambiguous pledge made by the Group of Eight countries in 2007 to spend £60 billion ‘over the coming years’ tackling Malaria, Tuberculosis, AIDS, and strengthening healthcare systems in developing countries is being reinterpreted. The ‘coming years’ now looks set to be stretched to mean the money will be spent across an eight year period as opposed to the required £65 billion over the next three years for HIV and AIDS alone recommended by UNAIDS.

Further fears that the G8 leaders may be set to completely abandon the 2005 Gleneagles commitments of universal access to treatment by 2010 provoked a letter from the Chair of the Stop Aids Campaign, Ken Bluestone, ‘calling for the UK government to show real leadership at this time.’ The letter reminds Gordon Brown that access to treatment, prevention and care for HIV and AIDS sufferers is not only a G8 and an UN commitment but also a Labour Party manifesto commitment and insisted that ‘The UK must galvanise support from the other G8 leaders to ensure that the world is not disappointed by yet another broken promise.’ Omission of the 2010 deadline from the agenda is said to ‘not only deprive those in immediate need but also lead to increased costs in the future.’

The summit, which takes place in Hokkaido Toyako, Japan this weekend, will be watched closely by over 80 UK based NGOs and Trade Unions which make up the coalition.

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