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Fighting HIV/AIDS
ADB Review [ August 2005 ]

A multidonor trust fund will provide comprehensive responses to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic

Further strengthening the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s work on combating HIV/AIDS in the Asia and Pacific region, the Government of Sweden in February signed an agreement to establish a multidonor HIV/AIDS trust fund at ADB with an initial contribution of $14.3 million.

The fund will provide grants to help countries develop comprehensive responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with priority given to areas and communities that are especially poor and vulnerable to, or affected by, HIV/AIDS.

Intended to be a multidonor facility running for an initial period of 4 years, the fund will finance new subregional and national HIV/AIDS interventions in three major categories—pilot demonstration projects; leadership strengthening and evidence-based capacity building; and program coordination, technical support, and monitoring.

Signing for ADB, President Haruhiko Kuroda said that HIV/AIDS presents a fundamental development challenge that devastates people’s lives and is a threat to Asia’s economic development and poverty reduction.

“I am pleased to be formalizing this partnership with Sweden on one of the most urgent issues of our time,” Mr. Kuroda said. “This is an exciting initiative that, among other things, will help support some of the activities under the memorandum of understanding signed with UNAIDS.”

Signing for Sweden, the country’s HIV/AIDS Ambassador Lennarth Hjelmaker said that HIV/AIDS is the top priority on the development agenda for his country, along with sexual and reproductive health and rights.

“HIV/AIDS is not only a medical problem, but an economic and social problem that challenges development and poverty eradication: it covers all sectors of society,” he said.

He added that Sweden is working closely through the multilateral system and bilateral cooperation on the issue, stressing a comprehensive approach to fight HIV/AIDS, not only through prevention but also treatment and care.

“We are very happy to increase our support,” he said. “We need to work together, and this is a good example.”

The pilot demonstration projects will emphasize innovative approaches to fighting HIV/AIDS, with a focus on integrating HIV/AIDS in ADB’s nonhealth sector operations.

Special attention will be given to actions that address the needs in prevention and care faced by the poor and vulnerable, including women, people with highrisk behavior, and people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

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