Reacting to the announcement by UK Government that it is funding UNAIDS £8 million for 2023, Mike Podmore, Director of STOPAIDS said:
“In a challenging financial landscape, against the backdrop of deep cuts to the international development budget, this significant funding from the UK Government demonstrates the value of UNAIDS’ critical role in the global HIV response.
Historic UK leadership has seen the British public help prevent millions of AIDS-related deaths and drastically reduce new HIV transmissions. Prior to the 2020 aid cuts, the UK funded UNAIDS £15 million a year.
Whilst today’s announcement sustains crucial support for ending AIDS by 2030, it is not enough to get the job done. In 2021, funding available for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries was US$ 8 billion short and last year the UK failed to join our G7 allies in increasing its pledge to the Global Fund. We mustn’t reduce our support for fighting the biggest global pandemics, otherwise HIV transmissions and AIDS-related deaths will start to increase and we will lose hard won progress.
For the UK to return to being a leader in tackling infectious diseases – diseases that threaten the lives and wellbeing of all people overseas and at home – it must restore the international development budget to 0.7% of Gross National Income.”
ENDS
Notes:
- UNAIDS ensures there is a concerted, unified global HIV response that tackles the inequalities which stop us from ending AIDS. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organisations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
STOPAIDS is a UK-based HIV, health and rights network that supports UK and global movements to challenge systemic barriers and inequalities to end AIDS and ensure people around the world can realise their right to good health and wellbeing.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: jake@stopaids.org.uk or on +447887348161