LEADING PUBLIC FIGURES THANK PRESIDENT PUTIN FOR INCREASED COMMITMENT TO FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS

Open Letter to Russian President Delivered on Occasion of World AIDS Day

MOSCOW – The Community of People Living with HIV/AIDS and the non-governmental organization Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA), together with senior representatives from major mass media companies, today announced the presentation of an open letter to President Vladimir Putin expressing gratitude for his recently-announced decision to increase the State's budget for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in 2006 to $3 billion rubles (US $105 million), a nearly 20-fold increase over 2005.

The open letter, timed to coincide with World AIDS Day, was delivered to the Presidential Administration on behalf of representatives from the communities of people living with HIV/AIDS, members of the Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS, civil society, policy and business communities. Signatories of the letter welcomed improvements in the government’s policy on AIDS and indicated their desire to work with and support the government in the development and implementation of programs and policy initiatives designed to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS and ensure access to treatment for people already living with this disease.

The former Soviet Union is now home to the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemic. According to the UNAIDS/WHO’s 2005 Global AIDS Epidemic Report, released last week, the region’s HIV-positive population increased almost 20-fold in under 10 years. The report went on to state that the Russian Federation has the “biggest AIDS epidemic in all of Europe.” With over 330,000 registered cases of HIV infection in Russia today, this rapid spread has some experts estimating that 8 million Russians – representing 10% of the country’s adult population – could be infected by 2010.

"We welcome President Putin’s recognition of the potential devastating impact of HIV and his leadership in bringing more resources to the fight," said Avet Khachatrian, TPAA Director of Programs in the Russian Federation. "Today, information is the only vaccine against AIDS. The role of mass media is crucial to averting a generalized epidemic, and the partnership between mass media and civil society has proven its effectiveness in Russia."

Mikhail Rukavishnikov, Director of External Affairs of the Community of People Living with HIV/AIDS, said the letter aims “to bring attention of the public to the fact that increased funding has been allocated, and highlight that the Russian public is, in fact, actively interested in effective implementation of HIV prevention and treatment programs.”

The letter presented today also emphasizes several major objectives crucial to curbing the epidemic, including:

• Ensuring access to treatment for everyone who needs it;
• Developing effective prevention measures that reflect the specific characteristics of those most at-risk, including injecting drug users, sex workers, and youth;
•  Improving the effectiveness of programs and initiatives through the commitment of government, policy, and business leaders to the necessary resources, and to a sustained and consistent coordination and control over program implementation.

Hundreds of Russians and other concerned citizens worldwide have joined their voices to thank the Russian government for its increased commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS by visiting and subscribing to the on-line resource www.skazhispasibo.ru. This site, which will remain active throughout 2006, was developed by TPAA and the Community of People Living with HIV/AIDS, with informational support from MTV, MUZ-TV, ROL, TNT, Yes!, CTC, Domashny, Akzia, and DEFA gruppe, among others.

On 28 November, Russia’s Minister of Culture and Mass Communication, Alexander Sergeevich Sokolov, released an official message to Russian media companies, urging them to express leadership in the fight against AIDS. In his message, Mr. Sokolov called upon regional and federal mass media companies, as well as cultural and artistic figures, to utilize their communications platforms to raise awareness among the general population about HIV/AIDS. “Together we can stop the further development of this virus and improve the conditions of life for people infected with AIDS,” said Sokolov.

“The Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS has united resources of the Russian media industry not only to conduct wide-scale awareness campaign, but also to initiate public dialogue on the important aspects of the HIV/AIDS problem,” said Alexander Dybal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom-Media. “We welcome the decision to substantially increase funding for HIV prevention and treatment, and are determined to do all we can to support the process by the Russian media community”.

A recent survey conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation revealed that 84% of the Russian population thinks HIV/AIDS is a growing problem and a vast majority (70%) believe the country is not doing enough to fight the disease. Only 3% know someone living with HIV/AIDS, and 60% view people living with HIV/AIDS with some degree of caution.

Additional key findings of the survey include:

• 86% of respondents said they are comfortable with public discussion about the issue of HIV/AIDS;
• 78% viewed mass media as capable of playing a vital role in helping fight HIV/AIDS;
• 75% named television as the most reliable and trustworthy source of information on HIV/AIDS, followed by medical establishments (52%); and,
• Over half of those surveyed (55%) believe that media can do more to fight HIV/AIDS.

The survey, commissioned by TPAA, polled a nationally representative sample of adult Russians aged 18 to 50 in July 2005 and was conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation. The Kaiser Family Foundation helped to develop the survey questions and analyze the results, and along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank Group, provided financial support for the survey.

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About HIV/AIDS in Russia
At present, there are over 330,000 registered cases of HIV infection in Russia, although Russian and international experts estimate that between 800,000 and 1.5 million Russians may be living with HIV, representing between 1 and 2 percent of the country’s adult population. Injection drug users remain the primary community at-risk, although the epidemic is increasingly shifting beyond traditionally vulnerable groups into the general population. Young Russians are disproportionately affected, with more than 80 percent of all registered cases of HIV-infection among men and women under age 30. For more information about HIV/AIDS in Russia, visit www.tpaa.net or www.tpaa.ru.

About TPAA
Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA), is an international non-governmental organization – with offices in Moscow, Kyiv and New York – that fights HIV/AIDS in Russia, Ukraine and neighboring countries. TPAA raises awareness and builds political will; provides high-quality policy research and analysis; strengthens civil society; forges innovative global partnerships; and, supports policymakers, business executives, and media leaders in their efforts to stem the growing tide of HIV/AIDS in Russia and Ukraine. For more information, visit TPAA online at www.tpaa.net or www.tpaa.ru.

About the “Community of People Living with HIV/AIDS”
The “Community of People Living with HIV/AIDS” is a regional public organization that works to improve the quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS. The Community raises awareness among the general public and people affected by HIV/AIDS, facilitates access to treatment, promotes awareness and tolerance, defends human rights, provides counseling to people affected by the epidemic, and facilitates institutional development and support to the movements of HIV-positive people in the regions. For more information, visit the Community online at http://www.positivenet.ru .

About the Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS
The Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS (RMP) brings together the communication power of more than 40 Russian and international media companies in an unprecedented coalition united to help stem the country’s growing epidemic. The Partnership’s StopSPID campaign, which aims to raise awareness and inform the public about HIV/AIDS, includes: public service announcements (PSAs) across a variety of formats, including television, radio, print, outdoor, Internet, cinema theaters, and consumer goods; special news and entertainment programming; free print, online and mobile telephone messaging resources; briefings and workshops for media organizations and journalists; and, community involvement and mobilization events.

StopSPID and the Russian Media Partnership to Combat HIV/AIDS are coordinated by the non-governmental organization, Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA). The Kaiser Family Foundation, Viacom, and UNAIDS provide ongoing substantive and communications guidance, as well as financial support for production of StopSPID campaign messages. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank Group provide financial support to StopSPID through separate grants to TPAA. StopSPID is endorsed by the Federal Agency for Monitoring Consumer Rights and Welfare, the Ministry of Health and Social Development, the Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications, members of the Russian State Duma and Federation Council, and communities of people living with HIV/AIDS.