INTRODUCTION BY DR. CLAUS MULLER

Women now constitute more than half of the population with HIV/AIDS, a proportion which is growing. Thus we observe the feminization of AIDS in developing countries, specifically Africa, and in the United States were infections rates among women of color are especially high. Though less expensive anti retroviral drugs are now available and AIDS treatment is widely accessible in advanced industrial societies with their well functioning health care systems, the HIV/AIDS situation is close to catastrophic in most developing regions, specifically sub-Sahara Africa. Thus in Zambia of the close to one million individuals infected with AIDS only twenty thousand receive the life saving anti retro viral drugs. There appear to be only few exceptions such as Brazil, Cuba, Uganda, and Thailand.

As last year's Congressional Briefing on 'The Global Political Challenge of AIDS' revealed, some experts consider the socio-political destabilization of African countries most affected by the AIDS pandemic to be a realistic scenario for the future. Others, like Nicholas Eberstadt, view the unhampered rise in infection rates in China, India, and Russia as threatening economic growth and eventually the stability of the world economic order.

Compounding the problem is the realization that effective AIDS vaccines will not be available in the near future. Equally if more disturbing are three additional factors: First, raising money for the international fight against AIDS has proven difficult. With few exceptions public commitments by governments, even if followed by actual disbursement of the promised funds, fall far below what is necessary. Suffering from a chronic disease AIDS victims require life long treatment and the funds necessary to take care of all victims are enormous. Second, budgets are increasingly strained through foreign policy projects, an acceleration in environmental disasters, and new species crossing diseases such as the bird flu. Third, even if sufficient funds for medication were available, the countries most affected by AIDS have precarious health system structures and could hardly ensure that ARV medication is taken as prescribed. To the contrary, these countries experience an exodus of trained health care professionals who leave for Europe, North American and Australia. We seem to be sitting on top of a viral time bomb, given the probable rise of drug resistance and new AIDS strains.

Thus greater emphasis is placed now on preventive measures, such as the development of microbicides, which are topically applied creams or jells that prevent infection with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. They also would give women effective control over their bodies and advance gender equality.

This Congressional Briefing and the seminars and screenings in New York serve to further clarify the issues and to enhance effective policy making. We could not have held this briefing without the support from the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and from Congressman Lantos' staff members Hans Hogrefe and Maryamu Aminu as well as the help from Ron Anderson from Congressman Walsh' office. I owe gratitude to my research assistants Lisa Davis who worked on the reader and Tin Thu who helped to identify relevant productions.

Our work is sponsored by the M-A-C AIDS Fund, a fund that has been spearheading the private sector involvement in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. Needless to add, we are grateful for their enlightened support

Claus Mueller, New York, March 25, 2006
Hunter College & The Exchange