As part of his recent Australian Tour, Sir Elton John met with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to thank him for supporting The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria, and urged him to do more.
Sir Elton took to Instagram to say: “Thank-you Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for welcoming me so warmly into your office. Thank-you for supporting the Global Fund in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Together we can all make AIDS history.”
The Austrailian PM replied in kind, saying: "Elton John wrote in recent years: ‘It is all too easy for political leaders to think about AIDS only in the abstract. It is all too easy for them to forget that there are real people counting on them for help, people who deserve the same chance to live a long life as anyone else.’
“He has spent much of his life reminding people of the human toll of AIDS – as well as reducing the stigma around AIDS and lobbying Governments to help eradicate it.
“Australia has a proud record in fighting the spread of HIV infection, both at home and in our region. The number of newly diagnosed cases of HIV in Australia has remained stable over the past three years, and is low by global standards. We have also pledged $200 million to The Global Fund for 2014-16 to help global efforts in eliminating AIDS, as well as tuberculosis and malaria.”
Since the year 2000, infection rates have fallen by 36 per cent in countries in which the fund is active, proving that with focus and support, AIDS can be beaten. There is still more work to be done, but with the support of politicians like Malcolm Turnbull and countries like Australia, initiatives such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria will prove successful.
Source: Elton John AIDS Foundation
