Future of UN's Global AIDS fund at stake - AIDS lobby group

AIDS lobby group, The ActionAid Alliance, has warned that the future of the UN’s Global Health Fund for HIV/AIDS is at stake. The group, made up of four aid agencies - AIDS Stiching Fonds Netherlands, National AIDS Trust, Oxfam International and the UK-based NGO ActionAid - has been lobbying the European Union (EU)on the Fund. According to a statement issued by the group, the European parliament’s budget committee will meet this week to vote its initial opinion on Europe’s 2002 budget. The agencies are backing proposals for a new budgetary line that would commit US $109 million of new money to the UN's Global Health Fund and in addition increase Europe’s development budget designated to fight diseases of poverty from US $13.6 million to US $24.8 million. However the indications are that the committee would commit to less than the anticipated US $109 million, that it would reduce the budget for diseases of poverty, and that whatever money was allocated would be drawn from existing budget lines. ActionAid announced that any reduction in the proposed budget would not only be devastating but also that if new money were not found to finance the Global Health Fund it would be "like robbing Peter to pay Paul". ActionAid’s Ugandan HIV/AIDS policy officer, James Nkangabwa, said in the statement that the US $1.5 billion committed to the fund so far, was not enough. "Massive injections of cash are needed if we are to bring the HIV/AIDS epidemic under control, and realistically that means major donors must lead the way when it comes to donating money. If the European Parliament falls at this first hurdle I fear it will be almost impossible to persuade others to follow," he was quoted as saying.