The Independent has announced a powerful programme of editorial, film, events and advocacy in the run up to this year’s World AIDS Day on 1 December.
The aim is to ensure the UK and other governments protect the remaining funding for HIV/AIDS response programmes, whilst raising public awareness with a message of hope and action.
Leading The Independent’s coverage is an eight-month investigation and documentary, including powerful reporting from across Uganda, Zimbabwe and Senegal which reveals first-hand the deadly consequences of the abrupt collapse of USAID and anticipated UK and other foreign funding cuts. The film, Death Sentence, by Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew, paints a searing picture of the human cost. With no safety nets, and no time to secure alternative support, HIV patients are dying after losing access to medication, mothers are unable to prevent transmission to their unborn babies, and medics are forced to work for free with shrinking supplies.
This hard-hitting reportage, made in collaboration with filmmaker Mags Gavan, and combined with exclusive data modelling, runs alongside a special project led by Global Health Correspondent Rachel Schraer, entitled Rethinking Global Aid, investigating the wider impact of sudden foreign aid spending cuts on Africa and other parts of the developing world.
The world was on track to end the global HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030. Now, exclusive data modelling shows that in the same time frame, if current funding programmes are dismantled, millions could die worldwide, infections are set to reach levels not seen since the height of the crisis 25-years-ago, and medication-resistant strains could more than double, with devastating consequences.
Ahead of World AIDS Day, The Independent is calling on people to sign a petition urging the government to protect the UK’s remaining funding for HIV treatment, prevention and care.
Screening at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
On 30 November, The Independent is hosting a special screening of Death Sentence with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). Following the screening, Christine Stegling, Deputy Director of UNAIDS, and Lord Chris Smith, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and former Secretary of State and Patrick Kinemo, Country Director of MSI Tanzania, and Dr Charles Ssonko, Chronic and Infectious Diseases Team Lead, Medecins Sans Frontieres will join a panel conversation hosted by Bel Trew to discuss the impact of global aid cuts.
Bengi Ünsal, Director of the ICA, says: “We are proud to work with The Independent and its fearless investigative journalists to showcase this urgent documentary, Death Sentence. Supporting independent filmmaking is an essential part of the ICA’s mission, and at this pivotal moment in the fight to end the HIV crisis, we’re pleased to give a platform to this courageous and insightful film.”
Editorial
As part of their ongoing coverage of the global HIV/AIDS response, The Independent recently published a heartfelt piece from Elton John, founder, and David Furnish, chair of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, on why support for LGBT organisations is critical to helping end AIDS.
MP-focused activity
On 1 December, The Independent’s Editor-in-Chief Geordie Greig will host a roundtable briefing in partnership with the APPG on HIV/AIDS in parliament. The event will bring together senior parliamentarians with civil society experts to explore the UK’s continuing role in the fight to eradicate the disease, and discuss how to ensure international aid remains high on the government’s agenda in the coming months and years.
UNAIDS Event
The Independent’s film will also be presented to participants attending a special commemorative World AIDS Day event taking place in Geneva on 1 December at UNAIDS global centre.
Hosted by UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, the occasion will bring together members of the diplomatic community, government representatives and civil society actors to share experiences of the past year’s disruption to the AIDS response.
Petition
The Independent is calling on the British government to protect what is left of foreign HIV/Aids funding as international aid cuts plunge care into an unprecedented crisis. The petition urges Starmer to act now – and save lives.
Please sign here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/hiv-aids-petition-starmer-b2871286.html
Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent, says: “These warnings are not abstract predictions; they are the deadly reality for those on the ground. Since we filmed our documentary in March, three of the people we interviewed who were struggling to access their medication have died. A fourth person we understand is seriously ill. And yet the solution is simple and within reach: protect funding. The global HIV/AIDS response over the past few decades has been among the most successful health initiatives of our time. We are so close to ending this pandemic, let’s come together to save lives.”
Geordie Greig, Editor-in-Chief of The Independent, remarks: “This series of events is designed to do what The Independent does best: enacting change by using its platform for good. People are dying now and the answer is simple: protect funding and save lives, now. I commend Bel and our talented, tenacious journalists for their enormously powerful work.”
Zach Leonard, The Independent’s Chief Operating Officer and President, North America adds: “The Independent is steadfast in its commitment to amplifying marginalised voices, reporting without fear or favour, telling otherwise untold stories and using its huge platform to make tangible, positive change happen. We call on governments to protect the remaining funding for HIV/AIDS response programmes, and know that our readers will join us in this demand.”
For tickets to Death Sentence at the ICA, visit https://www.ica.art/films/death-sentence-the-real-cost-of-trump-s-aid-cuts-on-hiv
