The GAA has stated that President Obama has broken four of his original campaign promises.

The Global Aids Alliance (GAA) has called for a worldwide response to what it calls President Obama’s “broken campaign promises”, particularly concerning African health budgets.

The GAA’s criticism stems from President Obama’s 2010 fiscal year budget, which was submitted to Congress on 7 May. The organisation believes Obama has broken four of his campaign promises, creating a shortfall of $3.3 billion (£2.1bn) in US support for global AIDS funding through US bilateral AIDS programmes, including President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

This, the organisation believes, could result in: one million people without AIDS treatment; 1.9 million children and orphans without care and support; 2.9 million women lacking services to help prevent mother-to-child HIV transmissions; and 27 million without access to sexual disease transmission prevention programmes.

Dr Paul Zeitz, GAA Executive Director, said: “The time has come for the global health community to speak out and tell President Obama that he must meet his promises for fiscal year 2010. The President’s budget request sets his Administration on a path to breaking many of his campaign promises to the people of Africa, and to falling short on its commitments to reassert US moral leadership around the world, with devastating health consequences.”

The GAA was founded in 2001. It is dedicated to halting the global AIDS crisis and plays a role in shaping policy debate. Dr Zeitz has sent an email to more than 12,000 health advocates and organisations around the world to question the President’s actions. To read the email in full, and to find out more, visit: http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/