FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Africa Action 202/546-7961

"Money for AIDS, Not for War!"
Dozens of groups join Africa Action in call for new priority

Statement receives broad support from activist groups, advocacy
organizations

Monday, April 14, 2003 (Washington, DC) - As the U.S. continues
to wage a devastating war in Iraq, Africa Action today released the
following statement, signed by more than 70 groups, calling for
"Money for AIDS, Not for War!"

Africa Action's Executive Director, Salih Booker, said, "Today, Africa
Action is joining with friends across the country and around the
world to make this simple statement - Money for AIDS, not for War.
It is both a rejection of U.S. aggression in the Persian Gulf and an
affirmation of the real priority that we should be addressing - the
global AIDS crisis."

The statement, initiated by Africa Action, received support from such
leading organizations as the American Medical Student Association,
Global AIDS Alliance, ACT-UP (Philadelphia), Doctors and Nurses
Against War, TransAfrica Forum, National Coalition of Blacks for
Reparations in America (N'COBRA), Action for Southern Africa
(ACTSA, based in London) and Africa Groups of Sweden.

This initiative supports parallel activities by peace groups around the
country, who are opposed to the current U.S. war agenda, and
demand instead that the U.S. government focus its attention and
resources on real human needs.

The statement reads in part: "AIDS is the greatest global threat to
human security that exists today. It is more deadly than terrorism or
the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq...This
year, while the U.S. focuses on potential threats in Iraq and possible
terrorist attacks here at home, it is certain that AIDS will kill more
than 3 million people globally, most of these in Africa."

It continues, "AIDS is a clear and present danger to all of humanity.
That it is not the top priority of the U.S. government highlights just
how misguided U.S. priorities are...Fighting a war against AIDS is
the most important positive step toward building a stable future for
everyone."

The statement and the full list of 73 signatories is included below. It
is also available at
http://php.africaaction.org/action/moneyaidslist.php [2]

-----

Money for AIDS, Not for War!

As the U.S. spends tens of billions of dollars on a pre-emptive war in
the Persian Gulf, we demand that this money be spent on the real
global priority - the HIV/AIDS crisis.

AIDS is the greatest global threat to human security that exists
today. It is more deadly than terrorism or the alleged existence of
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. AIDS has already cost 25
million lives worldwide. In Africa, ground zero of the global
HIV/AIDS pandemic, whole communities are being wiped out and
the future of the entire continent is at risk. Around the world, HIV
infection rates continue to rise at alarming rates. In the U.S., the toll
from AIDS is mounting, particularly among communities of color.

AIDS is a clear and present danger to all of humanity. That it is not
the top priority of the U.S. government highlights just how misguided
U.S. priorities are. This year, while the U.S. focuses on potential
threats in Iraq and possible terrorist attacks at home, it is certain
that AIDS will kill more than 3 million people globally, most of these
in Africa.

AIDS is an urgent wake-up call to a deeper crisis in the state of the
world. The huge global inequalities that fuel this pandemic are de-
stabilizing and they are deadly. Only racism has allowed the loss of
so many lives to AIDS. Fighting a war against AIDS is the most
important positive step toward building a stable future for everyone.

The U.S. is the most powerful country on earth, and it has a clear
choice to make. It can choose to provide leadership for a global
effort to defeat the AIDS pandemic and save millions of lives. This
would earn it great appreciation and respect from the whole world.
Or it can choose to act arrogantly and unilaterally, dictating regime
changes and re-drawing maps to serve its own narrowly defined
interests. This can only escalate resentment and fuel violent
reaction against this country and its people.

A war on AIDS can be won. This must be the real priority. This is
why we demand: Money for AIDS, Not for War!

Signed by:

8th Day Center for Justice, Chicago, IL
(http://www.8thdaycenter.org [3])
ActionAIDS, Philadelphia, PA (http://www.actionaids.org [4])
Action for Natural Medicine (ANAMED), Winnenden, Germany
(http://www.anamed.net [5])
Action for Southern Africa, London, United Kingdom
(http://www.actsa.org [6])
ACT UP Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Africa Faith & Justice Network, Washington, DC (http://afjn.cua.edu [7])
Africa Groups of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
(http://www.afrikagrupperna.se [8])
Africa Today Associates, Denver, CO
AIDS Empowerment & Treatment International (AIDSETI),
Washington, DC (http://www.aidseti.org [9])
American Medical Student Association, Reston, VA
(http://www.amsa.org [10])
Artists for a New South Africa, Los Angeles, CA
(http://www.ansafrica.org [11])
Bed-Stuy Coalition for Peace, Brooklyn, NY
Black Radical Congress, Oakland, CA
(http://www.blackradicalcongress.org [12])
Boriken Presbyterian Synod in Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR
Breaking the Cycle, Boston, MA
California Newsreel, San Francisco, CA (http://www.newsreel.org [13])
Center for Economic Justice, Washington, DC
(http://www.econjustice.net [14])
Center for Health & Gender Equity, Takoma Park, MD
(http://www.genderhealth.org [15])
CHAMP, Philadelphia, PA
Chicago Anti-Bashing Network, Chicago, IL (http://www.cabn.org [16])
Coalition to Prevent the Erosion of Human Rights , Las Vegas, NV
Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism, Columbus, OH
(http://www.freepress.org [17])
Community of Sisters of the Church Cong. Justice Committee,
Notre Dame, IN
Conscious Movements Collective, Brooklyn, NY
(http://www.healinginnovations.net [18])
Council of Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters, Monroe, MI
(http://www.ihmsisters.org [19])
Doctors and Nurses Against War, NYC, NY
(http://InternationalAnswer.org/WarNotHealthy.html [20])
Enola Gay, Sydney, Australia
Evansville June 1st Peace Coalition, Evansville, IN
(http://www.peace_coalition.org [21])
Faith Community of St. Sabina, Chicago, IL
(http://www.saintsabina.org [22])
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR), Brooklyn, NY
(http://aidsinfonyc.org/fiar [23])
Global AIDS Alliance, Washington, DC
(http://www.globalaidsalliance.org [24])
Group Against Poverty & AIDS , Washington, DC
(http://www.gap_a.org [25])
Haiti Action Committee, Berkeley, CA
Health Coalition for Nonviolence, Inver Grove Heights, MN
(http://www.hcnv.org [26])
Institute for the African Child, Athens, OH
(http://www.ohio.edu/afrchild [27])
Intersect _ Worldwide, New York, NY
(http://www.intersect_worldwide.org [28])
Int. Found. for Alternative Research in AIDS (IFARA), Portland, OR
KAIPPG/International, Barrington, RI (http://www.kaippg.org [29] )
KAIPPG_Kenya, Kakamega, Kenya (http://www.kaippg.org [29])
Knights of the Socially Conscious, Perry, MI
(http://hometown.aol.com/earthforceunited/myhomepage/profile [30].)
Ligali.org, London, United Kingdom (http://www.ligali.org [31])
Massive Effort Campaign, Winterthur, Switzerland
(www.massiveeffort.org [32])
Medical Committee for Human Rights, South Africa Committee,
Royal Oak , MI
Medical Coordination Secretariat, Utrecht, Netherlands
Missionaries of Africa, Washington, DC
N'COBRA _ International Commission, Indianapolis, IN
Oregon Africa Village, Portland, OR
(http://www.oregonafricavillage.org [33])
Out Against the War Coalition, San Francisco, CA
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/outagainstthewar [34])
PAAZ (Peace Activists of AZ), Sierra Vista, AZ
People's Peace Project , Lancaster, Pa
Psychoanalysts for Peace and Justice, Jamaica Plain, MA
Queers For Peace And Justice, NYC, NY
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/QueersForPeaceAndJustice [35])
Realworldnews, Singapore, Singapore
(http://www.realworldnews.org [36])
Reed Peace Action Network, Portland, OR
Safe Earth Alliance, Largo, FL
Self Help Initiative (SEHI), Silver Spring, MD (waragcacy.org)
Society for Prevention of Ignorance, Bloomsburg, PA
Syracuse Peace Council, Syracuse, NY
(http://www.peacecouncil.net [37])
The Black Markets UK Ltd, London, United Kingdom
(http://www.theblackmarkets.co.uk [38])
Title II Community AIDS National Network (TII CANN), Washington,
DC (http://www.tiicann.org [39])
Traditional Reiki Network, Treadwell, NY
(http://www.geocities.com/ellen_avis/temporarypreviewfile.htm [40])
TransAfrica Forum, Washington, DC
(http://www.transafricaforum.org [41])
Triangle Foundation, Detroit, MI Tri_Valley CAREs, Livermore, CA
(http://www.trivalleycares.org [42])
UKIMWI Orphans Assistance, Washington, DC
UNCG Campus Antiwar Coalition, Greensboro, NC
(www.greensboroantiwar.org [43])
Union Aid Abroad Australia, Sydney, Australia
(http://www.apheda.org.au [44])
United Methodist Computer Training Center, Nairobi, Kenya
Uniting Worlds, Glenlyon, Australia
(http://www.users.tpg.com.au/anra [45])
Vukani Mawethu, Oakland, CA (http://www.vukani.com [46] (coming
soon))
Washington State Africa Network, Seattle, WA
(http://www.ibike.org/africamatters [47])
Water for All, California, Oakland, CA
York County (SC) Green Party, Fort Mill, SC
(http://www.scgreenparty.org [48])