AMERICA/UNITED STATES - UNITED NATIONS REPORT: AVAILABLE LESS THAN HALF THE FUNDS NECESSARY FOR THE STRUGGLE AGAINST AIDS

Friday, 27 June 2003

New York (Fides Service) – Governments and centres of research all over the world have diminished funds for treating AIDS to give more to producing a vaccine, prevention and distribution of medicines for HIV people. This emerges from a report by the Untied Nations issued by the UNAIDS during a Convention which closes today in Geneva. The document affirms that less than the necessary money is spent to fight AIDS. For 2005 at least 10.5 billion dollars are necessary to guarantee effective action against the epidemic but global world expenditure is about 4.7 billion dollars, destined in particular for developing countries. Of these funds, 1.6 billion dollars are for bilateral international assistance, 1 billion for the expenses of the multilateral Global Fund and 1 billion for expenses programmed by governments in areas affected by AIDS, besides internal expenses of less than 1 billion dollars in these countries. Although from 2005 1.2 billion dollars more will be available every years, the document says that 5 wills till be missing. The United States and European countries have announced they will increase funds for AIDS while expenses of governments, international organisations, NGOs have increased nine times since 1996. By 2007 at least 15 billion dollars will be needed to fight the disease. AP (Fides Service 27/6/2003 EM lines 22 Words: 265)


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