Speaking to the Global Business Coalition on Tuesday night, Elton John has praised certain governments and multi-national businesses who have funded AIDS education programmes in Africa and elsewhere, but criticised the catholic church and others who oppose the promotion of the use of condoms which, John says, could have saved the lives of millions who have already died from the disease.
Speaking about the global AIDS epidemic, he told the event: "The Global Business Coalition has been pivotal in getting more companies engaged in the fight against AIDS - as this event tonight demonstrates. I congratulate companies like Unilever Tea Kenya, who are making life-saving treatment available to all their employees that need it - and it's vital that other companies follow their example, because there is still so much to do. The global community has made strides with prevention. My own Foundation worked successfully with the Brazilian government to integrate HIV prevention into door-to-door, primary healthcare. What began as a Sao Paulo-based programme is now recommended for roll out nationwide".
He continued: "But with another 5 million people infected with HIV last year, we are losing the fight on prevention. We know from the successes - in Thailand, Uganda and elsewhere - what really works in prevention: young people need choices and that includes condoms. Governments and the church need to support those choices, because when they don't, people don't change their behaviour, they just hide it. This is not speculation - it is fact. It makes me angry that the Catholic church has been so slow and unwilling to change its views on condoms which would ultimately have saved millions of people's lives. And that the United States, which is contributing more money than any other nation to the fight against AIDS, is rejecting scientifically backed, comprehensive AIDS prevention in favour of 'abstinence-only' programmes that have not worked in the past".