XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok

The biennial International AIDS Conference opened on 11th July in Bangkok, Thailand and will last until 16th July. The conference theme this year is "Access for All", it attracts a wide range of scientists, politicians, activists, NGOs, and the media involved in the prevention, treatment, care and wider impact of AIDS.

United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan opened the 15th International AIDS Conference with a warning that the epidemic is now spreading alarmingly in Asia, where 60 percent of the world's population resides.

Annan made his address to a packed convention hall that could not accommodate the record 17,000 delegates who registered for the biannual meeting, which has never before been held in Southeast Asia.

"One in four infections last year happened on this continent," Annan said. "There is no time to lose if we are to prevent the epidemic in Asia from spinning out of control."

Currently, 7.4 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. The epidemic is set to escalate significantly unless widespread prevention, treatment and care efforts are mobilised throughout the region.

However the Global Fund is facing a funding crisis. Two thirds of the Global Fund is supported by European countries and the US, the remaining third comes from the rest of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore etc.

A further US$2.5 billion in 2005 is needed to renew existing grants and to fund new proposals. It is anticipated that the resource requirements will continue to grow in the coming years due to these expanding epidemics.

As this is the first International AIDS conference held in Asia, Oxfam has been calling on the rich nations in the Asia Pacific region to pay their share to the Global Fund. Their contributions will be used to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. These three diseases kill more than 6 million people each year, and the numbers are growing.

Helene Gayle, MD, MPH, director of the foundation's HIV, TB, and Reproductive Health program, called on governments and other organisations around the world to increase their commitments to the Global Fund.

It was announced in today's International AIDS Conference that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will contribute an additional $50 million to the Global Fund, bringing its total contribution to $150 million.

"The Global Fund has made great strides since its inception. Thanks in large part to the Fund, many more people in developing countries now have access to HIV prevention and care and life-saving interventions for TB and malaria than just two years ago," said Dr. Gayle. "The Global Fund is an extraordinary model for financing the fight against AIDS, TB, and malaria. We urge governments, the private sector, and other donors to dramatically increase their contributions to the Fund-their generosity can help save of millions of lives."

An estimated 38 million people are living with HIV/AIDS globally. In 2003 alone, 2.9 million people died and another 4.8 million were newly infected with HIV. An estimated 1.6 million people will die of tuberculosis in 2004, Malaria infects 300-500 million people every year, and kills more than 1 million.