Developed countries urged to increase funding for fight against HIV/AIDS

Some delegates attending the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban on Wednesday called on developed countries to increase funding for fighting HIV/AIDS.

The conference, which started on Monday, highlighted the fact that funding has decreased from the traditional funders like UNAIDS, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Global Fund.

Henrietta Bogopane-Zulu, South African Deputy Minister of Social Development, told Xinhua that some donors are now pulling out of the country.

She said, "The government is running the HIV programs from the fiscus. We would have loved to have more resources so that we can walk and run faster. We are feeling the pinch. We are however assessing which departments will be affected by the withdrawal or reduction as we do our department absorption."

Bogopane-Zulu said they will design innovative ways to fund the fight against AIDS.

The South African government is currently funding its HIV programs with over 80 percent funding from the national budget.

The Deputy Minister said they are now compiling the areas which will be hit hard by the withdrawal to respond to the loss of funding.

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), a South African organization fighting for the rights of people living with HIV/Aids said funding reduction will affect the operations of the civil society and cause many deaths.

TAC Chairperson Nkhensani Mavasa told Xinhua that funding for anti-HIV activities has been reduced by six to 10 billion U.S. dollars for the next five years.

She said the move will affect the fight against the pandemic and efforts to achieve the goal of eradicating HIV/Aids by 2030.

Mavasa said, "The funding is shrinking, donor countries are pulling out or restricting funding. This is not the time to reduce or end funding."

Mavasa said there is need for door to door campaigns against HIV/AIDS, visits to the community to go for testing and also to adhere to the treatment, and that needs a lot of money.

She said more funding is needed to carry on with the education campaign to avoid new infections.

She called on developed countries to commit more money towards fighting HIV/AIDS.

"If big funders like PEPFAR, UNAIDS and Global Fund are pulling out, other small donors will follow suit. These developed countries should commit more money to fight AIDS. If the U.S. can spend so much money in buying ammunition they should be ready to also commit more money to fight the pandemic. Many people will die with the reduction in funding, we will lose many lives," Mavasa said.

Julian Hill, the Doctors without Border deputy head of mission in South Africa, also told Xinhua that funding will affect the operations of governments and civil society in combating HIV/AIDS.

"We have to invest more in fighting the pandemic if we are to end it. Some countries in West Africa still have high HIV related deaths and funding is required. Investment in HIV/AIDS is lagging behind. They think we can do more with less but we need more to do more. We need more money to fight AIDS and tuberculosis. Without funding it will be hard to meet the ambitious goals on ending AIDS by 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals," said Hills.

He said more money is needed to prevent more infections, particularly among children, women and adolescents.

Manuel da Quinta, Regional Advisor of UNAIDS for Asia and Pacific, said some funders are now shifting focus from funding HIV/AIDS programs overseas to concentrate on domestic issues.

He said they have reduced funding depending on the level of the country with middle income country getting less and low income country a bit more.

Da Quinta said, "Some countries in Europe and the West have reduced funding for HIV to concentrate on internal issues like terrorism, migrants/refugees and other internal crisis. We will not end Aids with limited funding."

He said governments should also be innovative in funding models to fight HIV/AIDS like raising funds from their budgets.

Sandy Lambert, a Canadian who has been living with HIV for 20 years, said funding from outside is limited in his country and the government bankrolls the activities to fight AIDS.
Source:XINHUA