I referred to the need to assist developing countries to tackle HIV-AIDS. More then 40 million people are living with this disease, of whom some 27 million live in sub-Saharan Africa, in the world's poorest countries. HlV-AIDS is now the leading cause of death in the region. In Africa 2.2 million people died of AIDS in 2001. This is equivalent to the number of casualties which would result from the crashing of over 4,500 jumbo jets in one year. What was once considered a health challenge has quickly become a fundamental threat to development. Already HIV-AIDS is reversing a generation of development efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. The most startling evidence of this is the plunge in life expectancy. Largely because of HIV-AIDS, life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa has been reduced by almost one third, from about 63 years to 43 years, reversing gains made over the last century. As the spread of HIV-AIDS continues, the full impact of the disease is becoming clear.