HC Deb 11 July 1988 vol 137 cc13-4W
103. Mr. Burns

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress his Department is making in conjunction with international agencies with their action to contain the spread of the AIDS pandemic.

Mr. Chris Patten

International co-operation in efforts to combat AIDS is essential. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is leading the international effort. It has developed a global strategy, and over 75 plans for national AIDS control programmes are now being implemented with WHO assistance. Her Majesty's Government have committed over £12 million so far in direct support of this work. £4.6 million of this is in the form of contributions to WHO-backed national programmes in four African countries. In addition we have provided a grant of £1.6 million over three years to support the work of the International Planned Parenthood Federation which is helping family planning associations overseas to introduce information and counselling services on AIDS. Other international aid agencies to which we contribute in support of their general operations have programmes under way in collaboration with the WHO aimed at containing the spread of HIV. In the case of the European Community, the United Kingdom share of their aid commitments to combat AIDS is about £4.2 million.

Her Majesty's Government take every opportunity to encourage open debate and exchange of information about the AIDS problem and have co-sponsored resolutions on AIDS at world health assemblies and at the United Nations General Assembly. The United Kingdom has played an active role in discussions of the problem in the European Community, the Commonwealth and the Council of Europe and has supported the establishment of a mechanism for Communitywide information exchange.

The Government organised jointly with the WHO a world summit of Ministers of Health on programmes for AIDS prevention in London in January. The 148 countries represented adopted unanimously a declaration which stressed the importance of information and education in national AIDS control programmes.