AIDS at 25

Ever since opening night of AIDS 2006, when Bill & Melinda Gates held the rapt attention of the crowd at Toronto's Rogers Centre and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was no where to be found, I've been wondering whether celebrity leadership is filling the void of political leadership. Bill Clinton's formidable presence here in Toronto only magnified the question. After all, there was a former US president--someone who has been out of office for 5 years--setting the global agenda on AIDS, with nary a world leader in sight.

Some have argued that the politicians had their moment on AIDS two months ago at UNGASS (the UN General Assembly Special Meeting on HIV/AIDS) in New York, and would drown out the voices of people working on the frontline of the fight against AIDS. Others, including one of this morning's plenary speakers, Mark Heywood, demurred. "Without political leadership, it will not be possible to turn the scientific work we have heard about [this week] into public health policy," said Heywood, a prominent lawyer and activist with South Africa's Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). Wearing one of TAC's signature t-shirts that say, "HIV Positive," Heywood challenged the global community "to hold the world's leaders to account."

As if to underline his point, he called for the resignation of South Africa's minister of health, Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who has at times undermined the country's response to HIV/AIDS. Supporters rose from the audience with signs echoing Heywood's call.

Moderated by CNN's popular medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, this morning's plenary was a rousing success. Heywood's message was endorsed and his passion and eloquence equaled by the other three panelists: Alexandra (Sasha) Volgina, an HIV + woman who founded FrontAIDS, the first treatment activist group in Russia; Musimbi Kanyoro, General Secretary of the World YWCA; and 21-year-old Kerrel McKay, a prominent Jamaican youth leader, whose father died of AIDS.

All four speakers had personally witnessed or felt the devestating effects of weak political will, and they asserted that the price of inaction will be death. "Political leadership can't be an ephemeral idea," concluded Heywood. "It has to be objectively measurable and objectively measured."