State pledges €30m yearly for overseas AIDS

THE Government has pledged that a special HIV/AIDS fund of €30m announced as part of its overseas aid budget this year will not be a “once-off measure”.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed yesterday that the sum would be "replenished on an annual basis" as the Government was committed to ensuring the fight against HIV/AIDS remained a priority within the Ireland Aid programme.

Speaking at a reception in Dublin to mark World AIDS Day, Mr Ahern outlined how the Government has spent €40m this year through Ireland Aid on combating the disease in a number of African countries where at least 10% of the adult population are infected with HIV.

These include projects with non-governmental organisations in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa.

"World AIDS day is an occasion to say that it is wrong in this day and age that HIV/AIDS remains an automatic death sentence for the poor in the third world, while it can be treated in the first," said Mr Ahern before an audience of 200 specially invited guests including the director of the UN Population Fund, Thoraya Obaid.

He claimed a comprehensive international response to focus on prevention, tackling poverty and a more generous approach to debt and development was required to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Although the Government has been criticised for its failure to make any progress on its commitment to increase its overseas aid budget to UN targets, Mr Ahern said Ireland was still the sixth largest donor in terms of share of national income invested in development assistance.

Overseas aid is one of the few areas which showed an increase in the Estimates for 2003 announced by Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy.

Ireland's spending on foreign development assistance will rise to 450m next year an increase of 30m on this year's budget.

Meanwhile, a leading Irish charity has called on world governments to pledge to provide free drugs and treatment to African nations ravaged by HIV and AIDS.

GOAL chief executive John O'Shea asked world leaders to mark yesterday's World AIDS Day with a firm commitment to battle the disease.

GOAL estimates that 30 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, and an equal number face starvation in Ethiopia and Southern Africa.

"It is evident the current massive hunger crisis in Africa goes hand-in- hand with the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS which has left millions of children orphaned," he said.