§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assistance the Department provides to African nations in the fight against the AIDS epidemic. [126868]
§ Hilary BennDFID recognises that HIV/AIDS is a terrible human catastrophe and is one of the most important development challenges facing Africa. Over £190 million was committed to programmes focusing on HIV/AIDS and sexual health in sub-Saharan Africa last year, with intensive bilateral activities in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Over £25 million has been committed to support the International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa (IPAA) initiative—a regional, Africa-led initiative aimed at building Governments' national responses to the AIDS crisis, with a focus on Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, and Ghana.
At the global level, DFID has increased HIV/AIDS related expenditure from £38 million in 1997–98 to over £270 million in 2002–03. Considerable additional 868W financial support continues to be provided through institutions such as WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA, and NGOs and civil society organisations in an effort to combat this disease and support those already living with it. The Secretary of State recently announced an additional $80 million commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria bringing our total commitment to $280 million over the period 2001 to 2008.