More funds available to fight AIDS in developing countries than ever before – UN

Resources to tackle the AIDS epidemic reached an all-time high in 2008, with funds available reaching nearly $8 billion worldwide, according to a new report issued by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The actual resources available to combat the virus surged 56 per cent from 2007, reaching $7.7 billion, while commitments from developed countries climbed from $6.6 billion in 2007 to $8.7 billion last year.

The United States provided the bulk of the funding at $4 billion, followed by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, the new report – jointly issued by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) – said.

Commitments and disbursements made by wealthier nations increased five-fold between 2002 and 2008, it found.

As a portion of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Netherlands contributes most to fighting AIDS, followed by the United Kingdom and the US.

But a press released issued by UNAIDS, the data in the new study was gathered before the acceleration of the current global and economic crisis, which could threaten future funding for the global effort to fight the epidemic.