30/6/2006
French Air Travel Support for UNITAID

From July 1 the solidarity contribution on airline tickets to finance the purchase of drugs for the poorest countries for malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS via an international drug purchase facility (UNITAID) will enter into force on French territory.  France is paving the way. Seventeen other countries are preparing to take a similar step and have begun procedures to adopt this contribution.

This initiative of President Jacques Chirac and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is the result of strong international mobilization, particularly within the pilot group on solidarity contributions for development, which involves 44 countries since the Paris conference (February 29-March 1, 2006).  The meetings in Geneva in April, Copenhagen in May and New York in June led to progress in defining the role that UNITAID will play.

In coming weeks French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy will continue to plead with UNITAID founding partner countries (Brazil, Chile and Norway) for greater support for the initiative. Another meeting of the pilot group will be held in Brasilia on July 6 and 7.  The specific modalities for UNITAID operations will be presented to the UN General Assembly in September. Thanks to this international support and in particular the involvement of international organizations (WHO, UNAIDS, UNICEF, the Global Fund), UNITAID will be in a position to launch its first effective actions by October.

The campaign to increase public awareness about UNITAID is continuing. At the international level, the partnership with FIFA whereby balls bearing the UNITAID logo are exchanged between captains before each match is one privileged method. 

On July 1, 130,000 flyers will be handed out to travelers at the airports in Paris and Lyons. On July 8 the operation will be extended to the other major airports in France (Nice, Marseilles, Toulouse, Bordeaux, etc.).  In addition, thanks to the support of many operators, travelers will be given luggage tags bearing the phrase, “Je voyage solidaire avec UNITAID.” Mobilization from the airlines is also expected. 

France’s major cities will also express their support for UNITAID, in
particular by projecting the  logo onto public buildings during the July 14 festivities.