International efforts to fight HIV/AIDS

In light of the Special Session on the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/Aids next week at the UN General Assembly, it is worth recalling that the European Union (EU member states and the European Community) is in the vanguard of international efforts to alleviate the growing health crisis in developing countries by tackling the major communicable diseases HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

An integral part of the EU's overall development cooperation strategy - one that accounts for over than 50% of all current global development assistance - this EU effort against communicable diseases provides over 50% of the contributions to the Global Fund to fight Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis (see attachment).

In 2001, the European Commission adopted a Program for Action on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria within the context of poverty reduction worldwide. This entailed a series of actions to increase the impact of existing interventions, increase the affordability of key pharmaceuticals and encourage research in and development of specific actions to tackle these diseases at the national, regional and global level. To date, the EC has allocated more than €1 billion ($1.13 billion) to the Action Program.

Commented EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul Nielson: "Two years after its adoption, the Program for Action remains a comprehensive, forward looking and coherent policy framework aimed at making a significant contribution towards fighting the scourge of these killer diseases. It is important to get the policy right. However, concrete, effective implementation on the ground is better. With an estimated 6 million people dying of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in 2001 alone, there is still an urgent need for large-scale collective action. Major challenges lie ahead and we are determined to play our role in facing them"

With the fight against HIV/AIDS in mind, the European Commission has created a special budget focusing on reproductive and sexual health and rights, worth a total of €74 millio for the next four years.

Improvement in the availability and reliability of drugs has been an EU priority, including the lowering of prices and promotion of local manufacture of key drugs to counter these diseases in the poorest countries. As part of this effort, the EU has made progress in tiered pricing of medicines, an approach the EU has now adopted through unprecedented legislation that prevents re-importation of reduced-price drugs into Europe. In this area, the EU has worked closely with the pharmaceutical industry in developing a workable system.

The EU has also pursued this approach within the framework of the World Trade Organization's Doha Development Agenda trade talks, which came to a successful agreement on it in advance of the Cancun Ministerial meeting.

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• Accelerating the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (30/10/2003)