Sarkozy at IAC : too ashamed to speak ?

Tuesday 5 August 2008

All the versions of this article: [English] [français]

Yesterday, according to three different sources (an advisor to the Health Minister, journalists who had been booked by the French government representatives, and staffers of the conference organisers), France’s AIDS ambassador announced to press and conference organisers that an official speech by French President Nicolas Sarkozy would be read aloud during today’s morning plenary session.

This morning, the reading was cancelled without further explainations. The French President’s Office told French journalists that no reading has ever been planned : this is a lie. In the following hours, the same Office of the President published online the speech that is not to be spoken aloud.
The most surprising is that this speech fails to mention any figures as to exactly how money France is contributing to global AIDS fight. Is it a sign that Sarkozy realized that he could not lie any more on this very topic ? However, the French Foreign Minister announces a contribution of 360 millions euros, which s a lie, as we demonstrated (see below the real amounts with the sources).

This last pathetic act must be the last one. French credibility is now seriously damaged. Sarkozy has no other choice : he must announce the increase of France’s contribution to the Fight against aids - 1 billion euro a year to the Global Fund, to keep the promise of the universal access to treatments. [1]

Annex

205 millions euros a year, and not 360 as announced by French authorities :

– Global Fund : only 150 millions euros for the fight against aids, and 150 millions more for tuberculosis and malaria
(source : www.theglobalfund.org)

– French Agency for Developpement : 20 millions euros for the fight against Aids, 50 millions for health
(source : Marie-Odile Waty from the Agency)

– European Fond for the Developpement : 12 millions euros a year for the fight against aids)(4)
(source : www.concordeurope.org /www.senat.fr)

– French Foreign Minister = 30 millions euros a year for health in the Global South, including 20 millions euros for aids ;
(source : www.diplomatie.gouv.fr)

– World Bank/International Development Agency (loans) : 2,5 millions euros for the fight against aids
(source : siteresources.worldbank.org)

UNITAID : according OCDE and the Foreign Minister, French contribution to UNITAID come from a tax paid by people who take airplanes. This is not Public Help for Developpement : 0 euros.

[1] France gives 300 million euro a year for the the Global Fund against aids, TB and malaria. If Sarkozy wants to to keep the promise of universal access for these three diseases, he must increase by three, as announced by the executive board of the Fund in april 2007 : www.theglobalfund.org.