Press Release

2 June 2008

UK boosts global AIDS response

Launching the UK government’s AIDS Strategy today, Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, underlined the UK’s ongoing leadership in the global effort to achieve Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

Douglas Alexander announced that DFID will spend £6 billion on improving health systems and services, in poor countries up to 2015. This announcement is in addition to the £1 billion over 7 years committed last year to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Douglas Alexander said:

"I am proud of the UK’s international leadership on HIV and AIDS. This strategy demonstrates the UK government is committed to remaining at the forefront of the global fight against HIV and AIDS.

"Much has been achieved in recent years in tackling AIDS. Three million people can now access the treatment that they need to live with AIDS. $10 billion has been committed to tackle AIDS – a tenth of all development assistance. But significant challenges still remain. There are still around 7,000 new HIV infections every day, fewer than a third of those who need anti-retrovirals have access them, and coverage of key AIDS services remains unacceptably low."

The UK has led from the front to meet these challenges, and our new AIDS Strategy, Achieving Universal Access, outlines how we will continue to do this over the next seven years up to 2015.

The strategy places particular emphasis upon prevention, as this is the best hope of stopping the epidemic. And in light of emerging evidence it sets outs a comprehensive approach that strengthens the health systems and services necessary for the international community is to meet its goal of Universal Access.

Douglas Alexander continued:

"In light of the significant increases in resources committed to tackle AIDS in recent years, this strategy meets the new challenge identified by the evidence: the need to strengthen health systems and services. That is why I am announcing an unprecedented long-term commitment of £6 billion over seven years which will help to improve people’s health and build stronger, integrated, health services in poor countries. This will mean more and better equipped doctors and nurses, improved facilities and more people being able to access the HIV prevention, treatment, care and support that they need."

Achieving Universal Access commits the UK to a number of specific actions. These include:

• Working with others to bring down the cost of treatment to enable more people to access life saving drugs;
• Increasing the coverage of services for injecting drug users – HIV infections amongst injecting drug users are driving the fastest growing epidemics in the world;
• Meeting the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, including those affected by AIDS;
• Preventing the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children; and increasing the availability of family planning, including male and female condoms;
• Spending over £200 million to support social protection programmes over the next 3 years; and
• Increasing by at least 50% funding for research and development of AIDS vaccines and microbicides.

No one agency can do this alone. The UK will work with national governments, multilateral and bilateral partners, civil society, and the private sector - from international to community level. An example of this is in Nigeria where DFID will provide £100 million over the next six years to help improve Nigeria’s national response to HIV. Up to £30 million of that funding will be specifically allocated to provide condoms –this funding will provide 7 out of 10 condoms in Nigeria over the next six years.

Notes for Editors

• See our feature - New AIDS Strategy
• Taking Action(1.3 mb), the UK government’s previous AIDS Strategy was published in July 2004. Achieving Universal Action details the priorities of the UK’s work to tackle AIDS over the next seven years (2008-2015).
• The UK is a leader in the global effort to tackle AIDS. We are the second largest bilateral donor in the world. We provided £10 million in 2006/07 and an estimated £19 million in 2007/08 to UNAIDS. This is all part of the UK’s commitment to meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
• Download a copy of the Achieving Universal Access(4 mb)

For further information, contact Sarah Saxton on 020 7023 0944 or 020 7023 0600, e-mail S-Saxton@dfid.gov.uk  or call our Public Enquiries Point on 0845 300 4100.