More than half of a recently approved US $39 million World Bank grant has been allocated to assist the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in tackling HIV/AIDS.
In a recent statement the bank confirmed that $21 million had been allocated to combat HIV/AIDS, while $18 million was put towards mining in the West African country.
The bank said the grant would assist in mainstreaming the fight against HIV/AIDS into the work of all government ministries, departments and agencies, with the involvement of the private sector.
Serge Theunynck, the bank's Mauritania AIDS project leader, said: "Mauritania is at an early stage of the epidemic spread. The project will help build its capacity to organise a pre-emptive response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic."
Theunynck said the project also aimed to maintain the country's estimated HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of below one percent.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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