[procaare] Ireland PM and Clinton sign 70 million Euro agreement to fight AIDS in Africa

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News: Ireland PM and Clinton sign 70 million euro agreement to fight 
HIV/AIDS in Africa
Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs
29 September 2006
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IRELAND LEADER BERTIE AHERN AND PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON SIGNED A NEW 
AGREEMENT TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA

The Taoiseach [Prime Minister of Ireland] announced that Ireland would 
provide 70 million euros [approx. 89 million USD] under a renewed 
partnership with the Clinton Foundation that will focus on addressing 
HIV/AIDS in two of the worst affected countries in the world - Mozambique 
and Lesotho.

Under this new agreement funding for Mozambique will reach 60 million euros 
over the next five years. Funding for Lesotho will reach 10 million euros 
over the same period.

The focus of the partnership will be to support the national responses of 
both countries to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, particularly in the areas of 
testing and counselling, the provision of anti-retroviral treatments and 
critical support for national health systems.

This new agreement will make Ireland the largest country donor to the 
Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative.

Speaking at the signing of the agreement the Taoiseach said:

"Since the end of his US Presidency Bill Clinton has worked to transform 
AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable disease. He has brokered deals 
to make HIV drugs affordable and readily available.  He has used his 
influence with world leaders to make the plight of their HIV positive 
population a problem they could not ignore. Ireland is proud to support the 
President and the work of his foundation."

"The first three years of our relationship with the Clinton Foundation has 
yielded real results for the people of Mozambique, that is the most 
important thing, development cooperation must be about results. I look 
forward to seeing similar progress in Lesotho over the coming years."

The Taoiseach and President Clinton were joined at the announcement in 
Farmleigh by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, and the 
Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights, Conor 
Lenihan TD.

Ireland has made the fight against HIV/AIDS a core priority of the Irish Aid 
programme. Ireland now spends in excess of 100 million euros, (10% of the 
total overseas aid budget per year) helping developing countries halt the 
spread and deal with the impact of this disease.

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Note to Editors:

In 2003 the Government entered a partnership with the Clinton Foundation to 
address the gap in HIV treatment services in low-income countries. At that 
time drugs to treat HIV/AIDS were not affordable to many developing 
countries that were in the grip of the epidemic. The Clinton Foundation 
successfully negotiated preferential prices for HIV drugs and brokered deals 
to make these drugs available to those developing countries bearing the 
heaviest burden of HIV infection.

Mozambique was one of those countries. In 2003 it was selected as the 
initial country of focus for the Irish Aid - Clinton Foundation Partnership. 
With a HIV prevalence rate in excess of 16%, HIV/AIDS has exacerbated the 
problems of an already impoverished population. Funding through this 
partnership has enabled the Government of Mozambique to make HIV treatment 
available in its public health response to HIV/AIDS. Significant progress is 
being made with over 20,000 people on anti-retroviral treatment and 38 
health clinics offering anti-retroviral drugs and 83 offering services to 
prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child during delivery.

Under this new agreement funding for Mozambique will reach 60 million euros 
over the next five years. These additional resources and the technical 
support provided under the Partnership will enable the Government of 
Mozambique to expand its HIV services. It will in particular focus on 
ensuing that health workers are being trained in the delivery of HIV 
services; laboratory services needed for HIV testing are being improved; 
drug procurement and distribution is improved and more people get access to 
the HIV services they so desperately need.

Another country of focus for Ireland is Lesotho. With over 23% of the adult 
population infected with HIV Lesotho is one of the worst affected countries 
in the world. HIV/AIDS is a tremendous barrier to development in Lesotho. 
The Government there is particularly keen to ensure that services are made 
available in the mountainous rural areas which to date are underserved and 
under resourced.

Under this new agreement Ireland will provide an additional 10 million euros 
to the Government of Lesotho. This funding will be targeted at supporting 
the Ministry of Health to improve its drug procurement and management 
system; to increase the availability of anti-retroviral drugs; to recruit 
and train health workers; to strengthen laboratory services; and to ensure 
that HIV treatment is increasingly available for children.

Online at: http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/latest_news.asp?article=834

Cross-posted from Partners Ireland, an eForum focusing on development and 
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