Our association is currently undergoing a serious funding crisis. This has obliged us to cut our expenditure and
will shortly force us to reduce certain activities in order to survive. Less than a year from the presidential
elections, we are nonetheless convinced that the cause of people living with HIV and/or co-infected with
Hepatitis, and minorities serve as a deterrent to sarkozyism. Act Up-Paris needs everyone to mobilise, by
committing with us to the fight against AIDS, or by helping to fund our projects.
In 2010, our association decided to pre-finance the free publication of a guide « AIDS : back to basics », entirely written
by militants from our association, and targeting people living with HIV and medical workers.
We also decided to strengthen, in a strategic period, our advocacy on the prisons issue. Also, we have been continuing
certain of our activities, in particular, international activities for which we receive no specific funding from donors.
We do not regret these choices, as they have allowed us to obtain concrete results on research, prevention,
and access to healthcare for people living with AIDS in France and in developing countries.
In the past few months, we have obtained :
– On international issues :
- FUNDINGS / jointly with the other French organizations, an increase of 20% of the French contribution to
the Global Fund to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis for the three next years,
- GENERICS / jointly with other NGOs, the removal of some provisions within the Trade Agreement
EU/India in negociation, and within the Anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA). We also obtain the
reaffirmation by the French President that France will support generics
- ‘WAR ON PHARMA’ / that Bristol-Myers Squibb ensure the continuity of distribution of pediatric antiretroviral
treatments last year after the closing of their French factories
– On national issues :
- RESEARCH/ CO-INFECTIONS / that research is directed to the issue of co-infection by HIV and
Hepatitis C, which has become the main cause of mortality among people living with HIV.
- EQUAL RIGHTS / that the PACS (civil pact of solidarity) be recorded on death certificates.
- DRUG USES / against government censure, we have imposed new measures to reduce the risks
linked to drugs use, like low-risk consumption rooms
- PRISONS / we have also imposed the need to release prison inmates so they can have access to vital
healthcare.
The pre-funded actions were a wager which we won in part politically. However, we are paying a heavy price: few of them
have been definitively funded, and we have had to pay for them from our own funds. The delay in payment from public
financing bodies has aggravated the situation: for the year 2011, we have advanced 100 000 euros to public
organisations.
All of this threatens the activities for which we do not receive funding from backers, jeopardises others, and prevents us
from fully concentrating on our priorities and objectives.
At some months from the Presidential elections, and in a decisive period on particular issues, such as acces to
drugs and co-infections, your support is essential.
Although the political context and sarkozyism are not particularly favourable to sick people, we refuse to let it kill
us !
To help Act Up-Paris, you can :
– Join us
– Send a donation online
– Fund our projects
