Washington, D.C. — More than ninety public health, environmental, development and faith organizations today urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to publicly reject threatening to withhold HIV assistance and other medical aid to Zambia as a negotiating tactic to pressure the country into signing a critical minerals agreement with the United States.
An estimated 1.3 million Zambians receive daily HIV treatments under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and others benefit from U.S. assistance combatting malaria and tuberculosis.
“Threatening these programs — and the lives of those reliant on them — to gain leverage in trade negotiations is ethically indefensible,” says a joint letter to Secretary Rubio from the organizations. “Furthermore, to withhold these vital medicines would only deepen poverty and suffering in Zambia and the surrounding region, creating a ripple effect of instability that could have unforeseen impacts on U.S. interests over the short, medium and long term.”
The groups called for any critical minerals initiative between the nations to prioritize meeting the job creation, environmental and sustainable development goals of both countries. It pointed to recent public comments from some of the organizations about the “Design of a Plurilateral Agreement on Trade in Critical Minerals” for concrete recommendations on how such a fair deal aimed at improving critical minerals supply chains could be crafted.
“Of course, PEPFAR and other health assistance to Zambia should in no way be conditioned on any sort of minerals agreement — even a mutually-beneficial one,” the letter states. “We urge you to please immediately and publicly repudiate the notion that the United States would hold lifesaving medical aid hostage to increase leverage in minerals discussions.“
The ninety-two organizational signers on the letter include Afrewatch International, Africa Faith and Justice Network, AIDS United, All-Africa Conference:Sister to Sister, Alliance of Baptists, American Friends Service Committee, Association of Concerned Africa (ACAS-USA), AVAC, Climate Rights International, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd – U.S. Region, Council for Global Equality, Dominican Leadership Conference, Earthworks, Foreign Policy In Focus, Friends of the Congo, Friends of the Earth United States, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Global Black Gay Men Connect, Global Health Council, Global Network of Black People working in HIV, Global Witness, Health GAP, Inclusive Development International, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Médecins Sans Frontières, Mighty Earth, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Mpact Global, Muso, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, National Jobs for All Network, National Working Positive Coalition, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Oil and Gas Action Network, Oxfam, PAI, Partners In Health, PFLAG National, Positive Women’s Network-USA, PrEP4All, Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness, Public Citizen, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team, StrongMinds, The Advocacy Network for Africa (AdNA), TIP Global Health, Trade Justice Education Fund, Treatment Action Group, Union of Concerned Scientists, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community, United Church of Christ, US-Africa Bridge Building Project and dozens of others.
A complete copy of the letter and the signers is available at: https://tradejusticeedfund.org/wp-content/uploads/ZambiaCriticalMineralsLetter_withCMAComments_032626.pdf