HIV/AIDS: G8 Agreement
(30/11/06)
Baroness Northover asked Her
Majesty’s Government: What progress has been made to fulfil the agreement
made at the 2005 G8 conference in Gleneagles to ensure that all those who
have need for access to treatment for AIDS do so by 2010.
The Lord President of the Council
(Baroness Amos): My Lords, following the G8 agreement, in June this
year the UN General Assembly agreed the goal of universal access to
comprehensive prevention programmes, treatment, care and support by 2010.
Countries pledged to set ambitious national targets, including interim
targets for 2008. So far, 84 countries have provided targets, 44 of them
covering prevention, treatment and care. These plans need to be reviewed
so that the international community, with partner governments, can fund
effective national plans.
Baroness Northover: My Lords, I
thank the noble Baroness for that reply and for her and DfID’s commitment
to fighting this disease. However, despite the Gleneagles pledge, there is
already a shortfall of $8 billion and 80 per cent of adults and 95 per
cent of children do not have access to treatment. Does she agree that that
is catastrophic in terms of the social, economic and human impact of the
disease? Does she further agree that the G8 needs to bring forward a plan
detailing exactly when, by whom and how the funding gap will be closed so
that all have access to treatment by 2010?
Baroness Amos: My Lords, I agree
with the noble Baroness that we need to ensure that there are national
plans and that they are fully costed and funded. This year, the UN made a
commitment that no plans which were costed and effective in covering
prevention and care would remain unfunded. That remains our commitment.
They have to be national plans, which are then reviewed and supported
through the international community. We have made good progress, with 84
plans in place and 44 of them covering the range. We will have to keep up
the pressure, but the commitment has to be to those national plans rather
than to one global international plan.
Baroness Whitaker: My Lords, does my
noble friend agree that one of the main problems in dealing with AIDS is
fear and discrimination, which tend to deter people, particularly women,
from coming forward so that they miss out on treatment which could save
their lives? While some notable leaders in Africa, such as Nelson Mandela
and Kenneth Kaunda, have bravely acknowledged AIDS in their own families,
there is much more that we could all do to try to remove discrimination.
Baroness Amos: My Lords, my noble
friend is quite right. We need to tackle the stigma of those living with
HIV/AIDS. That is the focus of the DfID campaign for tomorrow, which is
World AIDS Day. The stigma and discrimination, of course, affect those who
are most vulnerable. We must challenge people’s attitudes towards those
living with HIV/AIDS, challenge discrimination and promote and protect
human rights in policy and legislation. DfID is supporting approximately
100 projects and programmes, many of which aim to change people’s
attitudes.
Lord Fowler: My Lords, I
congratulate DfID on the work that it has done. In an area like global
warming, the Government rightly place emphasis on this country setting an
example at home. Does the Minister think that the lack of effective
campaigning on HIV/AIDS and sexual health in the United Kingdom and the
cutting back of promised funding is the right way to show commitment to
the worldwide battle?
Baroness Amos: My Lords, the
Government are in fact leading the way. The noble Lord may know that my
colleague in the Department of Health launched a campaign this month
looking at HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. We are investing
substantial additional resources in sexual health—it is one of the six key
priorities for the NHS in 2006-07—but there continue to be issues about
the funding of the campaign in the longer term. We are seeking to review
the impact of the campaign, which was launched only on 20 November, and we
shall then look at what more needs to be done as regards our campaigning
priorities.
Baroness Masham of Ilton: My Lords,
following on from the previous question, is the Minister aware that the
number of people in the UK with HIV/AIDS is still increasing? Many of
those people are very poor and are having difficulties.
Baroness Amos: My Lords, the noble
Baroness is quite right. In 2005, there were 7,450 new diagnoses. That is
only a small increase from 2003, but it is more than double the number of
diagnoses in 2000. Nearly three-quarters of the total number of those
newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS probably acquired infections on the African
continent. We must look at that link and our work on the African continent
is clearly important. On poverty, we will continue to support those
families and individuals.
Lord McColl of
Dulwich: My Lords, do the Government acknowledge that the Ugandan
campaign of AVC has been highly successful in reducing from 31 per cent to
5 per cent the incidence of HIV/AIDS among pregnant women? Would the
Government seek to support such a campaign?
Baroness Amos: My Lords, the noble
Lord knows that we support a comprehensive approach to HIV/AIDS
prevention. That includes not only looking at abstinence, but also
recognising the reality of people’s sexual practice and dealing with it,
and looking at the support that must be given to the health sector overall
as well as treatment, vaccination and so on.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords,
the number of children in Africa with HIV/AIDS is not the major issue but
it is still an important and difficult one. To what extent are the
Government giving it attention and are they pressing drug companies to pay
sufficient attention to it in the treatments offered?
Baroness Amos: My Lords, we are
looking at the issue of children and also at the issue of women and
transmission between women and children. Last year, we organised a global
partners forum on children affected by HIV/AIDS and we are pressing the
drugs companies on this point. We need a different kind of treatment for
children than for adults.
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