Recipients of HIV/AIDS programs aid expected to feel crunch of global economic crisis

At the 2009 HIV Implementers' Meeting in Namibia Thursday, Paul DeLay, deputy executive director of UNAIDS, said the global economic crisis will impact countries who receive international aid for HIV/AIDS programs, so recipients of such aid should identify priorities for their programs, the China Post reports (China Post, 6/12).

"Resources are becoming scarce, but there is a need to ensure their use in an equitable way to address priority areas," Delay said. "HIV/AIDS has in the past been operating in isolation. We have to look at how we can integrate funding for the epidemic into funding for education, shelter and nutrition."

According to DeLay, an estimated $25 billion is needed to provide universal prevention, care, treatment and counseling by 2010, while so far, $14 billion has been raised for low- and middle-income countries. "Donors want to know how their money is being used in achieving universal access," DeLay said. "Countries themselves should be able to demonstrate that the funds have made an impact on the intended recipients."

The AP/Khaleej Times writes that UNAIDS says fighting HIV/AIDS "will require that 1.5 million teachers be trained, 13 million sex workers reached, 10 billion condoms provided, 2.5 million circumcisions performed, and 19 million orphans and vulnerable children supported" (AP/Khaleej Times, 6/11).

A joint UNAIDS/World Bank report, titled "The Global Economic Crisis and HIV Prevention and Treatment Programmes: Vulnerabilities and Impact," based on the results of a 71 country survey on the impacts of the economic crisis on HIV prevention programs, is expected to come out in late June/early July (World Bank release, 6/11).

Former Boston Globe reporter, John Donnelly, is live blogging from the conference here for the Center for Global Health Policy.