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14 Mar 2008 People & Planet news. HIV/AIDS

Lobby Day Success

MPs challenged and campaigning celebrated, students gathered in London on 11 March to push government to take tough action on access to treatment.

Meeting with the Conservatives.

The venue looked fantastic - everyone agreed: the 25000 action cards wrapped into parcels with red ribbon, the giant action cards calling ‘If not now when?’, the banner across the front table demanding ‘keep the promise’, the giant post-it notes detailing this promise and the eye balls, staring at the lobbyists and then at Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, asking him to hold the government to account.

As more and more students arrived and donned ‘the World is Watching’ T-shirts, the room became a sea of red. So it was that Andrew Mitchell MP (Shadow Secretary of State for International Development) arrived at the Emmanuel Centre near Westminster to intimidating surroundings. These became even more impressive as well-briefed and highly engaged students began questioning him, probing deeply into whether the Conservative Party’s vague good intentions have teeth.

Other members of the panel were Martin Kalunga-Banda of Oxfam, Michelle Childs of Knowledge Ecology International, Steve Cockburn co-ordinator of the Stop AIDS Campaign and Sally Joss from the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development acting as the witty chair. Martin spoke of his personal experience in Zambia and of family suffering from HIV/AIDS. Michelle was the expert on drugs. She highlighted the irony that drug prices remain extortionate, while governments with the power to change this flounder over the amount of money they need to provide to reach universal access to treatment for all. Steve focussed on the need for urgent action and what we wanted to see from the Conservatives, showering Andrew Mitchell with a protective layer of praise before hammering home what we both want and expect.

Andrew Mitchell asserted international development as a ‘British’ policy and therefore that his intention was not to ‘big-up’ the Conservatives to the detriment of other parties. He said international development is the most important role within today’s government and told of visiting Uganda and seeing effects of HIV and AIDS. A positive start in taking the issue seriously. He then detailed the Conservatives’ ten most important points in the fight against HIV and AIDS, including greater accountability and transparency about how international aid was spent. The questions began…

By the end of the session Andrew Mitchell had been grilled to charcoal. Students confronted him on key issues of prevention vs. treatment, funding, the price of drugs and the meaning of universal access. We discovered a lot. If they come to power, the Conservatives will fully fund the Global Fund. We had success when Andrew Mitchell agreed to meet with the Stop AIDS campaign on reducing the prices of drugs for developing countries, an area where his own briefing only gave him the standard answers easily shot back by a HIV/AIDS campaigner.

There is much room for progress here. However, Mitchell’s retracting response to a question on whether they would provide the UK’s fair share of funding needed to reach the target of universal access, stating they would provide what they ‘think their fair share is’ - not necessarily the £2.5 billion the Stop AIDS Campaign is calling for, was far from pleasing. It shows how much pressure is still needed.

Lobbying over 30 MPs.

After the meeting and an energy boost in the shape of complimentary triangular sandwiches, campaigners went to put this pressure on their own individuals MPs. Over 30 MPs were lobbied, this number dramatically increasing when counting MPs not available to meet, but who are now aware of their constituent’s high level concern regarding the issue. Many students had not previously lobbied their MP, especially at parliament and the experience provided confidence to do it again.

MPs were impressed with campaigners, committing to support the cause by asking parliamentary questions, where the relevant minister will have to provide factual answers as to what they are doing in the area the question addresses - such as TRIPS, funding and progress on the G8 promise.

Andy Hix of Royal Holloway People & Planet reports:

The lobby was a fantastic opportunity to engage directly with the people who are supposed to represent us politically, and demand that they represent our view of the provision of AIDS treatment. Our MP was more than willing to listen to what we had to say, was fully supportive, and agreed to do his best to raise the issue in Parliament. It was a very successful and satisfying experience, although now it will be crucial to follow up on our verbal agreement and make sure that he actually does what he promised, instead of emulating the government!

Taking the message to Japan.

While campaigners lounged about Parliament waiting for and speaking with their MPs, a small delegation of student campaigners and organisational representatives visited the Japanese Embassy to meet with the Japanese Ambassador. The G8 summit 2008 will be held in Hokkaido, Japan, and accountability and delivery of existing promises must be at the centre of of G8 efforts at tackling HIV and AIDS, and in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010, a commitment that has been reiterated, but not delivered, at each of the last three G8 summits.

Celebration of over 25000 signatues and the passionate campaigning this represents.

At 4pm a babble of campaigners and balloons gathered on Downing Street ready to send delegates forth into number 10. Lewis Bassett of Roehampton P&P represented People & Planet. Together they carried in a giant action card representing the 25000 actions taken and the bundled cards themselves. From across the road, fog horns blared and shouts of ‘If not now when?’ followed them. The photographer braved a step ladder in the middle of the road to capture the perfect picture …and then we went to the pub.

Well done all who were involved with the event and all of those who have supported the Treat AIDS Now campaign in the run up to it. Your campaigning made a huge difference!