UNAIDS Chief Cautions Africa on AIDS Dependency Crisis

Rather than remain dependent on donor money, African leaders must look for alternative ways to fund a sustained response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the executive director of UNAIDS said Saturday in Addis Ababa. Michel Sidibe, who is in Ethiopia for the 18th African Union summit, warned that the continuing global economic downturn likely will reduce further the money available to fight the disease.

“Africa is too dependent on external resources, especially for the AIDS response,” said Sidibe, who identified this dependence as “a source of great risk and potential instability. The status quo cannot be sustained. It is time for a new development paradigm that is developed and owned by the leaders of Africa.”

UNAIDS estimates that two-thirds of the money spent to fight AIDS in Africa comes from international funding sources. The vast majority of antiretrovirals used to treat HIV in Africa are imported from generic manufacturers.

The agency also estimates that Africa will need $11 billion-$12 billion to combat AIDS by 2015, that is $3 billion-$4 billion more than is being spent currently. In addition to leveraging public-private partnerships, UNAIDS suggested taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and cell phones as ways to raise the money needed.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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