Over the past three years the Government has substantially increased the volume of financial resources allocated to programmes to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS in developing countries and to provide care and support to those infected with or affected by the disease. Annual funding is now in the region of €40 million and is directed at activities which are primarily focused on Africa. Ireland's support is provided through international organisations, NGOs and regional initiatives and in programme countries. The focus of our support is on developing the capacity of partner governments and national AIDS councils in the countries concerned to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS and to mitigate the social and economic consequences of the pandemic.
On 7 July last the Taoiseach and former President Clinton signed a memorandum of understanding between the Government and the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation. They agreed on a partnership which will also involve developing country governments and will provide financial and technical support for the preparation of integrated HIV and AIDS treatment, care and prevention programmes.
A sum of €50 million has been earmarked for this partnership with the foundation over a five-year period. The focus of this is partnership will be on Mozambique in the first instance. Funding will be allocated to agreed activities in the HIV-AIDS strategic plan of the ministry of health in Mozambique and will be released following full appraisal of this plan in-country and approval by the Development Co-operation Ireland approvals committee. Funding will not be donated to the foundation but will be directed to HIV-AIDS programmes in Mozambique in the first instance and provided through the Mozambican Government. It will be allocated from the HIV-AIDS special fund established within Development Co-operation Ireland in the wake of a pledge made by the Taoiseach at the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV-AIDS in June 2001 in relation to the resources that Ireland would commit to dealing with this crisis.
The William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation has made the global battle against HIV-AIDS a major area of attention. It is committed to assisting poor countries and their leadership in the creation of strategic plans, the mobilisation of international resources and the development of their internal resources to defeat the HIV-AIDS epidemic. The Government's partnership with the foundation will assist in the development of the human resources necessary to initiate and sustain treatment, care and prevention programmes and to strengthen the public health system in Mozambique. It will also facilitate the development of quality management and information sharing mechanisms that will allow these programmes to scale up rapidly while improving the quality of service delivery. Furthermore, there will be a focus on the development and implementation of pharmaceutical procurement strategies, including assistance in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies that produce patented and generic drugs.
