$7 billion needed to fight HIV/Aids

The world needs roughly an additional $7 billion every year to fight HIV/AIDS, according to Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS, the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.Speaking at the opening of the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington, Sidibe noted the financial commitment from developed countries has been declining.“When investment in HIV/AIDS is cut, the epidemic will continue to ruin lives and damage communities,” he warned.More than 20,000 scientists, policymakers, people living with HIV were expected to attend the conference which started this week in Washington DC.The biennial event is the world’s largest meeting on AIDS. It attracts leading scientists who deliver reports on recent AIDS research while seeking to identify the next steps and goals in the global fight against AIDS with community leaders and policymakers. Elly Katabira, AIDS 2012 International Chair and president of the International AIDS Society said donors and national policymakers need to provide money for HIV/AIDS projects, especially to boost preventative measures.To ensure the support going to HIV/AIDS projects is adequate, Sidibe said, many people are starting to call for the adoption of a financial transaction tax, which could help raise money for that purpose.He also praised various developing countries for spending more on AIDS control.Throughout the world, more than 80 low- and middle-income countries increased the amount of money they were spending to fight AIDS by at least 50 percent between 2006 and 2011, he said.So far, more than 34 million people are infected with HIV globally, according to UNAIDS statistics. More than 100,000 people in Rwanda are on Anti-retroviral treatment which is given out free of charge.The country also spends an estimated Rwf1 billion on HIV/Aids drugs every year. Earlier, global experts on AIDS said the international community should step up the fight against HIV/AIDS and ensure the disease remains a funding priority in spite of world economic headwinds. While the global economic crisis has posed financial challenges to countries worldwide, governments, donors and development agencies should continue their funding for HIV prevention and treatment, the experts said.According to Festus G. Mogae, former president of Botswana funding the pandemic was very important because this kind of investment meant lives.Investing in the disease, observed Sidibe, was certainly a good thing, as it also “offers an opportunity to bring innovation.Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, said that “it’s our job to raise voice for AIDS” despite a tight budget.Economic hardship has made it all the more important to allocate and utilise AIDS investments as effectively and efficiently as possible, noted Rajiv Shah, administrator of the US Agency for International Development.Under the theme ‘Turning the Tide Together,’ the 19th International AIDS Conference kicked off on Sunday, drawing more than 20,000 delegates worldwide.The conference is the largest gathering of professionals working in the field of HIV. It plays a fundamental role in shaping the global response to the disease and keeping it on the international political agenda.

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$7 billion needed to fight HIV/Aids