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Response on UNICEF UK’s “Born Free from HIV” campaign

June 2008

I would like to thank you for your interest in HIV and AIDS and the work of the UK Government on this issue.

In 2007, the G8 committed to scale up their efforts to achieve Universal Access, including providing with other donors a projected $60 billion over the coming years. This commitment includes $1.5 billion for prevention of mother to child transmission, $1.8 billion for paediatric treatment, and resources to provide care for 10 million orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The UK is pushing G8 colleagues to ensure that fulfilling and implementing previous Summit commitments is a priority at the G8 Leaders’ Summit in July this year. The UK will be pressing G8 and other colleagues to contribute their share towards the goal of Universal Access.

The UK is fully committed to Universal Access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and worked hard to ensure that this commitment was endorsed by the international community. On 2 June the UK Government launched its updated AIDS strategy “Achieving Universal Access – the UK’s strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world”(4 mb). The strategy sets out action the UK will take to help achieve Universal Access.

The UK Government has committed £6 billion to strengthen health systems and services over seven years to 2015. We have also committed to spend over £200 million on social protection over 3 years to support the most vulnerable households, including OVC. The UK will also increase by at least 50% its funding for research and development of AIDS vaccines and microbicides over 2008-2013.

The UK remains firmly committed to meeting the needs and rights of OVC, and is taking action to reduce their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS, including through prevention of mother to child transmission. The UK will work with others to intensify international efforts to increase to 80% by 2010 the percentage of HIV-positive pregnant women who receive antiretroviral treatment, to reduce the risk of mother to child transmission, both in low income and high prevalence countries. The UK also helps to tackle HIV-related mother and child mortality and to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV through our support to health systems strengthening.

The UK has made a 20-year committed to the international drugs purchase facility, UNITAID, including £90 million from 2008-2011, which will help increase access to paediatric treatment. A UK supported trial in Zambia has shown that providing a cheap antibiotic (Cotrimoxazole) to children with HIV reduced mortality by as much as 43%. The UK will continue its support for scaling-up the use of this antibiotic in children living with HIV and is also working with national governments to strengthen their systems for essential drugs, including Cotrimoxazole, within the context of functioning health systems.

I hope this is helpful.

Gillian Merron
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development