BIG RALLY for HOPE and Against the African Growth and Opportunity Act

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

Posted for Michelle Sforza

Subject: RE: April 21 ralley
   Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 13:41:00 -0400
      From: Michelle Sforza <msforza@citizen.org>
 Organization: Public Citizen
        To: love@cptech.org (James Love)

        ATTENTION: BIG RALLY for HOPE  and Against the African Growth
and 
Opportunity Act

The First Big Trade Battle of the 106th Congress is looming in the House
of 
Representatives -- we expect a floor vote on HR-434 (the so-called
"Africa 
Growth and Opportunity Act" a/k/a NAFTA for Africa) as soon as the House 
leadership can schedule it after the recess.  We can beat this bad bill
only 
if we raise our voices together in support of the progressive,
pro-Africa 
alternative -- the Human Rights, Opportunity, Partnership and
Empowerment 
for Africa Act.

HR-434 protects pharmaceutical corporate giants by providing incentives
for 
nations to adopt restrictive intellectual property rules that will keep
the 
costs of AIDS treatments high.  It also promotes IMF-style austerity --
and 
the attendant cuts in public health spending.  Weakening of African
public 
health systems, or reforms that increase the cost of health care in
Africa 
will have a severe impact on the HIV/AIDS community. AIDS deaths in 
Sub-Saharan Africa are expected to approach the total worldwide death
toll 
to date.

HOPE for Africa reflects a more progressive and humane approach to the 
HIV/AIDS conditions in Africa.  In contrast to the corporate-sponsored
bill, 
HOPE contains three elements which address the epidemic in Sub-Saharan 
Africa.  Title VI sec. 601 of HOPE will prohibit the U.S. from spending 
funds to undermine African efforts to increase access to needed 
pharmaceuticals through intellectual property or competition policies. 
Moreover,

WHO:            YOU and hundreds of AIDS/HIV Activists from
                New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and DC,
                along with all local allies and affiliates of the 
                Citizens Trade Campaign

WHEN:   Noon -- Wednesday, April 21
                
WHERE:  McPherson Square   15th Street NW  between I and K Steets

For more information:

Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch       202.546.4996              
Citizens  Trade Campaign                  202.546.4611

"If you don't go to another demonstration this year, you're not getting
out 
enough!" 
Erick Brownstein, Rainforest Action Network 




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michelle Sforza
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
215 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E.
3rd Floor
Washington, D.C. 20003
(202) 546-4996, ext. 302
(202) 547-7392 (fax)
msforza@citizen.org
www.tradewatch.org
-- 
James Love, Director, Consumer Project on Technology
I can be reached at love@cptech.org, by telephone 202.387.8030,
by fax at 202.234.5176. CPT web page is http://www.cptech.org