Elton John and Charlize Theron ask Boris Johnson to assist with battle in opposition to AIDs

Elton John and Charlize Theron are amongst a lot of world leaders on HIV who've written an open letter to Boris Johnson asking for his assist.

Drawing the British Prime Minister’s consideration in direction of a brand new AIDs emergency, John and Theron have requested Johnson to handle the difficulty on the forthcoming G7 summit.

“We face a brand new AIDS emergency, and we want your assist,” the letter begins.

“Whereas naturally Covid-19 is presently dominating the agenda, it is important that you simply and your fellow leaders additionally shield and construct on what we have now achieved within the battle to finish AIDS and use that within the battle in opposition to Covid-19.

“The Covid-19 disaster has shut down HIV prevention and remedy companies, in lots of international locations actually in a single day. It has reduce off tens of millions of women from college, and pushed up poverty, gender-based violence and human rights violations. All of those elements improve folks’s dangers of buying HIV or of growing AIDS. Already we have now seen a steep improve in charges of adolescent being pregnant, which we all know will imply a surge in HIV infections too.

“The World Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria has warned that HIV service supply has been massively disrupted with HIV testing falling by 41% throughout 502 well being amenities in Africa and Asia. The World Well being Organisation has highlighted widespread disruption to HIV remedy provide chains.”

Theron is the Founding father of Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Challenge whereas Sir Elton is the founding father of his Elton John AIDS Basis.

“As leaders and champions of the worldwide HIV response, we now worry that the variety of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths will climb once more.”

The letter continued: “The G7 assembly in June, approaching the heels of the UN Excessive Stage Assembly on HIV and the Fortieth Anniversary of the primary AIDS circumstances, presents a significant alternative to rally the world to behave collectively. You rightly plan to focus the G7 assembly on addressing international well being and pandemics. We've seen over the previous yr how such pandemics thrive on the fault strains of racial, social and financial inequality.”

“We should finish Covid-19, and AIDS, in all places, collectively. The G7 should decide to elevated funding in tackling long-standing, new and future pandemics collectively. The UK should drive bold G7 assist for worldwide progress as convenor and by instance.”

It concluded: “The eyes of the world, Prime Minister, are on the UK, and on you.”

You may learn the letter in full here.

In the meantime, Elton John was honoured with an Icon Award eventually week’s (Could 27) iHeartRadio Music Awards, the place a lot of artists additionally carried out a medley of his greatest hits.

H.E.R., Brandi Carlile and Demi Lovato have been readily available on the Los Angeles ceremony to carry out ‘Bennie and the Jets’ and extra.