As world leaders prepare to meet in Hokkaido, Japan for the annual meeting of the G8, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Kaiser Family Foundation have released a new report analysing the funding available for AIDS from G8, European Commission (EC) and other donor governments in 2007.
The report shows that assistance for AIDS from donor governments to low- and middle-income countries is being driven by a subset of G8 members and notably some non-G8 members such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and Ireland. In 2007, the United States was the largest donor for AIDS, followed by the UK and the Netherlands, using bilateral and multilateral channels.
Financing an effective and sustained response to the AIDS epidemic in low- and middle-income countries has emerged as one of the world’s greatest challenges. International assistance from donor governments, through bilateral aid and contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as other financing channels is a critical part of the response.
In 2005 at the summit in Gleneagles leaders of the Group of Eight pledged to commit US$ 25 billion per year to aid in Africa, part of which is to go to working towards the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
Some key findings of the report include:
- In 2007, international AIDS assistance from the G8, EC, and other donor governments reached its highest level ever with commitments totalling US$ 6.6 billion up from US$ 5.6 billion in 2006.
- Between 2002 and 2007, commitments and disbursements each increased by at least four-fold.
- In 2007, donor governments disbursed US$ 4.9 billion for HIV/AIDS, including US$ 3.7 billion in bilateral assistance and earmarked multilateral funds and an additional US$ 1.2 billion through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The full report is available online here or on the Kaiser Family Foundation website
