G8 Countries Must Fund Commitments, Ensure 12% Reaches Affected Children

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 26, 2007 - Leaders of G8 countries must take the next steps to meet their commitments to end extreme poverty and stop AIDS' devastation in the developing world, World Vision said in a paper released for this week's meeting of government development ministers.

World Vision is an international Christian humanitarian organization that has worked more than 50 years in some of Africa's poorest and most AIDS-affected nations. As such, it calls on G8 leaders to act now to prioritize children; ensure universal access to care, prevention and treatment; and set up a high-level group that will oversee and monitor progress on G8 commitments to fight AIDS.

AIDS has already orphaned 15 million children. In 2006 alone, it killed an estimated 380,000 children under the age of 15. Of all global AIDS-related deaths in 2006, 72 percent occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. With increased resources, million of lives can be saved.

Directors of World Vision's national offices in 25 African countries have emphasized several of these key points directly with the G8 president's office in advance of agenda-setting meetings. Development ministers from the Group of Eight nations are now meeting to prepare for the summit in Germany this June. The agenda will include issues related to the Millennium Development Goals to cut poverty in half by 2015, based on promises made to the poor by world leaders at the 2005 summit.

"It is essential that we now ensure that children who are vulnerable or orphaned by AIDS are a priority when this funding is used,'' said Robert Zachritz, senior policy advisor for global development at World Vision U.S. and a co-author of the paper. "World leaders must work together to fight global poverty and disease."

World Vision's new policy briefing urges the following in the global fight against AIDS: § Increase funding to achieve universal access to prevention, treatment and care § Strengthen health systems § Ensure orphans and vulnerable children aren't left behind § Facilitate affordable treatment § Establish a permanent G8 Working Group on AIDS

American taxpayers are concerned about poverty issues. More than 200,000 people in the U.S. recently joined the ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History, a coalition of 800 organizations including World Vision, to push the federal government for policies that will provide more and better aid internationally and help children get the care and treatment they need.

END

NOTE: For copies of the paper , go to http://www.worldvision.org/resources.nsf/main/G8_paper_07.pdf/$file/G8_paper_07.pdf?open&lid=paper&lpos=main To schedule a media interview with an expert from World Vision, contact Geraldine Ryerson-Cruz at gryerson@worldvision.org or 202.615.2608.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. We serve all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit www.worldvision.org/press.