Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made with tackling AIDS in each of the African countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34377/08]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Recent data released by the United Nations Joint Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) demonstrate that the global HIV prevalence — the number of people living with HIV — has levelled off and that the number of new infections has fallen. This is primarily due to much improved surveillance methodologies, along with some positive impacts of HIV programmes.

However, in 2007 over 33 million people were still living with HIV. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region most severely affected in the world and is home to over 22 million people living with HIV or 68 per cent of the global total. AIDS remains the primary cause of death in Africa.

Ireland has emphasised that the fight against HIV and AIDS is fundamental to poverty and vulnerability reduction. We spend over €100 million annually on combating HIV and other diseases of poverty. Our assistance is targeted at those countries most affected by the pandemic including Lesotho, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Uganda.

The Government is investing in programmes that are benefiting those most in need, delivering anti-retroviral treatment in countries most affected and providing support to children made vulnerable by AIDS. We also invest in empowering women and girls to protect themselves from infection.

Significant progress has been made in a number of countries in reducing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS. For example, Uganda has succeeded in reducing the rates of infection from 18.3% in 1992 to 6.4% today. Ireland has played its part in this improvement.

There is now better access to anti retroviral treatment for those infected with AIDS. In partnership with the Clinton Foundation, Ireland has increased its funding to the Governments of Mozambique and Lesotho to improve the accessibility of HIV treatment in rural areas and in particular to women and children. As a result of our work in Mozambique, over 78,000 people are now on HIV treatment, up from less than 2,000 people at the end of 2002. In Lesotho, following one year of operation, 4 health facilities have been refurbished and over 2,500 people are accessing HIV treatment including 100 children.

This week Ireland co-hosted with UNICEF the fourth Global Partners' Forum on Children affected by HIV and AIDS which was addressed by the Taoiseach and myself. It successfully identified consensus around the main strategies that need to be employed to improve the lives of children affected by HIV and to reduce the vulnerability of children to HIV.

We are committed to continuing our work to address HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases and to ensuring that men, women and children get access to quality health and HIV services.