[stop-imf] New WDM Report: 'The Vicious Circle: AIDS and third world debt'

[Robert Weissman]

The World Development Movement has issued a new report on Debt and
HIV/AIDS for the occasion of the United Nations Special Session on AIDS on
Monday 25th June. It is on the web at www.wdm.org.uk.

Summary
"You can't tackle HIV/AIDS without dropping the debt."
Barry Coates, Director, World Development Movement

The World Development Movement (WDM) argues that debt and AIDS must be
tackled simultaneously if there is to be any chance of improvement for
developing countries.

Despite world leaders' promises to end the debt crisis, developing countries
are still paying out millions of pounds each year to service debts, while
the health of their populations suffers. WDM suspects world leaders of "debt
fatigue", and is concerned that world leaders' professed enthusiasm for the
new global trust fund for HIV/AIDS might deflect attention away from the
need to end the debt crisis.

Although the new global trust fund for AIDS is welcome, WDM believes that
more and faster debt relief and debt cancellation are a vital and effective
way of helping developing countries to combat HIV/AIDS.