After Thanksgiving break, the world will once again stop to commemorate the millions of lives lost to the AIDS pandemic during the past 32 years. Every year on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, people living with HIV and their advocates, along with health providers, celebrities and government officials host a multitude of events to celebrate our achievements in the fight against AIDS and remember those who have been lost.

Each year, the American government uses the day to reaffirm its commitment to ending AIDS in some way or another. This year, President Barack Obama must not only commit to achieving an “AIDS-free generation” as he has in the past two years, but he must honor that commitment by agreeing to scale up access to HIV treatment, and reflect this commitment in his 2015 fiscal year budget next January.

In 2003, President George W. Bush created the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a bilateral funding program from the United States. Over the past decade, the emergency plan, along with the multi-lateral Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, has revolutionized the fight against HIV in developing nations throughout the world. The emergency plan is seen as the most effective global health initiative, in framework and implementation, to address a single disease.

The two programs have effectively put millions of people on treatment and provided prevention and care services for many more. With an increase in funding from the U.S. government, the emergency plan and the Global Fund are the mechanisms through which we will end this pandemic. By scaling up the number of people on treatment we can reduce the infection rates and stay ahead of the epidemic.

If we do this right now, we could reach zero new infections in fewer than 30 years.

As of 2013, emergency plan is providing treatment for approximately 6 million people. This World AIDS Day, Obama must agree to scale up treatment levels through emergency plan to put 12 million people on treatment by 2016. If he does this, we will be on track to end AIDS in less than 30 years, and truly achieve an “AIDS-free generation.”

As Iowans, we have an especially crucial position as Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is on the appropriations sub-committee of Labor, Health, Human Services and Education, allocating funds to both global and domestic health programs.

Call your legislators or let them know you care by writing a letter to your hometown newspaper urging for increases to global health initiatives or schedule a lobby visit with your state representative.

On campus, you can join with the ISU Global Health and AIDS Coalition ([email protected]) in advocating for global health initiatives.

We have the ability to end AIDS now.