Funding shortfalls threaten global anti-AIDS efforts, UN says

Nov 30, 2011, 21:12 GMT

New York - The global campaign against the HIV/AIDS epidemic is threatened by shrinking funds, just as effective treatment is reaching more infected people, the World Health Organization and relief groups said Wednesday.

In a report on programmes fighting HIV/AIDS worldwide ahead of World AIDS Day Thursday, the WHO said that treatment, prevention and outreach are saving more lives than ever. The UNAIDS organization and UNICEF agreed that the world is delivering medicines and treatment to HIV-infected people more effectively, with the participation of local communities and health services.

But the WHO report said annual funding dropped to 15 billion dollars in 2010, from 15.9 billion dollars in 2009. The UN estimated the price tag on a continuing comprehensive response to the epidemic at 22 billion dollars a year by 2015.

The report said recent years' decline in funding could hurt progress in the distribution of effective anti-retroviral treatments.

The number of new HIV infections fell to 2.7 million in 2010, down from 3.1 million in 2001, while the number of people getting life-saving AIDS drugs rose to 6.65 million in 2010 from just 400,000 in 2003, according to the report.

'2011 has been a game-changing year,' said Paul De Lay, deputy director of UNAIDS. 'With new science, unprecedented political leadership and continued progress in the AIDS response, countries have a window of opportunity to seize this momentum.'

'However, gains made to date are being threatened by a decline in resources,' he said.

The Paris-based Doctors Without Borders said HIV treatment has reached one in two infected people, marking 'critical progress' from decades ago. It said efforts needed to be scaled up for treatment of HIV and tuberculosis, which has been the main killer of HIV-infected people.

The group decried current and future funding shortages, comparing the situation to that of a vehicle going full speed and suddenly running out of gas.

'The Board of the Global Fund will have failed if they don't get back in the driver's seat, hold an emergency donor conference and mobilize the money for a new funding window within the next 200 days,' said Tido von Schoen-Angerer, executive director for Doctors Without Borders.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, based in Geneva, is the world's largest financial backer of HIV treatment and prevention programmes.

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