Jim Mitchell
Question:64 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the HIV-AIDS Strategy for the Ireland Aid Programme. [4291/00]
Written Answers. - Overseas Development Aid.
Since the early 1980s the HIV-AIDS epidemic has spread across the world. In 1999 more than two and a half million people died of AIDS; in addition more than 33 million people are thought to be infected with the virus. More than 90% of these infections occur in poorer, developing countries. In these situations AIDS is making poor people poorer and is contributing to a reversal of many earlier development gains.
HIV-AIDS is now a major public health problem in all of the countries benefiting from the support of Ireland Aid on the African continent. It is imperative in these situations that there is a sustained and coherent effort to prevent further spread of the disease and to contain its impact. Many lessons have been learnt over the last 15 years of implementing HIV-AIDS projects. Ireland Aid is responding to the challenges presented by HIV-AIDS and has drawn from these experiences in developing, in collaboration with the Irish Aid Advisory Committee, its new HIV-AIDS strategy ‘An HIV-AIDS Strategy for the Ireland Aid Programme'.
It is my view that this is an excellent document. It recognises that the effects of HIV-AIDS go far beyond those of poor health and that the disease is having a negative impact on development progress and on poverty. Consequently the strategy recommends that Ireland Aid needs to address the problem of AIDS at all levels, international, national and community and through all sectors, health, education, industry and rural development.
Clearly any strategy needs to be backed up by plans to put it into effect. A growing aid budget affords many opportunities for Ireland Aid to increase the level of support for HIV-AIDS activities. A commitment has been given to increase the level of funding for specific HIV-AIDS activities from IR£1.5 million in 1999 to more than IR£2.5 million in 2000. This amount is additional to the already considerable volume of funds allocated by Ireland Aid in support of health programmes in developing countries. The strategy recommends that any response to HIV-AIDS by Ireland Aid be integrated into other sectors supported, such as education, health and rural development. In addition the strategy provides for an intensification of Ireland's responsibility in advocating improvements in international co-operation in the search for effective vaccines and affordable treatments.
In this context the Taoiseach recently wrote to the President of the European Commission stressing the need for the EU and its member states urgently to explore the level of resources devoted to the fight against HIV-AIDS and the need for greater international co-operation. The Taoiseach also called for consideration of how best to procure affordable treatment for AIDS for poor countries and the EU's role in supporting the search for a vaccine.
We will pursue with the Commission and the member states in the coming months the issue of the EU's role in the fight against HIV-AIDS. As the world's largest aid donor, the EU and its member states must increase their collective efforts and give a strong lead if we are to deal effectively with the spread of the epidemic.