The question of the international mobilisation of financial resources was the main theme on the first day of the 18th International AIDS Conference, taking place from 18 to 23 July in Vienna. In this context, Health Commissioner John Dalli recalled the Union’s commitment in terms of combating AIDS and the HIV virus, underlining its contribution of around €100 million annually to combating AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (as well as national health programmes, the thematic programme ‘Investing in People’ and the European and Developing Countries’ Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP).

“We sincerely hope that donors, rich countries and other organisations will continue to contribute [to this fight],” he declared during the opening ceremony, on 18 July, whereas some people are concerned by the fall in international contributions.

A survey, published on the eve of the conference, reveals that the financing by rich countries of programmes to combat AIDS in poor countries decreased by US$100 million in 2009, bringing the total contribution of the G8 countries, the European Commission and other donors to US$7.6 billion, compared with US$7.7 billion in 2008. Germany, France, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands are among those countries whose contributions have fallen the most. This amount of US$7.6 billion includes bilateral and multilateral aid, contributions to the Global Fund on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFTAM) and the UNITAID organisation. Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of GFTAM, who was also present at the conference, said he was highly concerned by the level of international mobilisation of financial resources, to be specified in September in New York. n