Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 224: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent of commitment at EU and UN level in the fight against AIDS in Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42342/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The European Union and United Nations have provided international leadership in the global response to HIV and AIDS. Their respected track record of action in Africa reflects their commitment to deliver on a number of high profile pledges to support those countries most affected by the pandemic, the majority of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. The EU and UN have a strong history of effective collaboration around AIDS and both are not only committed to realising the Millennium Development Goals that include ambitious global targets for HIV and AIDS, they are co-authors of the concept.

That the UN convened a special session of the General Assembly dedicated exclusively to HIV and AIDS is a measure of the UN's commitment. Recognising the cross-agency nature of response required, the UN has established UNAIDS, the Joint UN Programme on AIDS that brings together the efforts and resources of ten UN organisations including UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. This impressive joint effort aligns not only these agencies, but their considerable portfolio of implementing partners that includes Non-Government Organisations. The joint UN programme is guided by its Outcome Framework for AIDS that optimises the partnership between the UN co-sponsors, guides their investments and holds co-sponsors accountable for making the resources of the UN work for results at country level.

The European Commission's Communication, A European Programme for Action to Confront HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis Through External Action, to the European Council and Parliament guides the EU's overall strategy. This EU programme emphasises country level action in Africa in particular and the need to increase efforts to scale up interventions that have shown results.

Ireland recognises the importance of winning the battle against this epidemic for attaining all the Millennium Development Goals and Irish Aid commits more that €100 million each year to HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases. At country level in Africa, Irish Aid works closely with the UN family, EU Member States, the EC and others in supporting national level responses to AIDS. Our experiences point to the valuable contribution and commitment of both the EU and the UN to AIDS work in Africa.

The UN and EU have been important contributors to the encouraging gains reported by UNAIDS. In the past decade we have seen a six-fold increase in funding for HIV and AIDS and this has supported a remarkable acceleration in delivery of services, commodities and activities for AIDS in those countries most affected. In Africa death rates from AIDS are declining due to improved access to anti-retroviral treatment, the epidemic has been reversed in a number of African countries and an unprecedented number of people affected by AIDS, including children, are benefiting from care and support work.