This article refers to "The Rudd Government". I thought it was The Australian Government.
It this money for men who have sex with men prevention programmes AND money for the Three Diseases Fund or only to the Three Diseases Fund including activities for men who have sex with men? It is unclear.
[him] moderator
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World AIDS Day 21st Anniversary
Source: Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
Government of Australia
01 Dec 2009
Today is the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Day. Since 1988, World AIDS Day has helped raise awareness about HIV/AIDS issues and the need to support people living with HIV/AIDS.
The Rudd Government today announced that Australia will provide $3 million over three years to HIV prevention programs in Burma, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to help reduce the spread of HIV.
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region continues to increase, with an estimated five million people now living with HIV/AIDS.
Recent Australian research has shown that inadequate HIV/AIDS education for men who have sex with men in the Asia-Pacific is one of the main causes of increasing HIV infection in the region.
Of the $3 million in new funding:
- $750,000 will be provided through the Three Diseases Fund in Burma to rollout HIV prevention programs for men who have sex with men, and other vulnerable groups.
- $1.5 million will be provided through the Indonesian Government to support the implementation of a national plan of action for men who have sex with men, in partnership with the Indonesian National AIDS Commission.
- $750,000 will be directed to the Papua New Guinea National AIDS Council Secretariat for policy and legal reform, clinical health service improvements, and further HIV education and advocacy for and by men who have sex with men.
The Rudd Government is determined that new national strategies to tackle HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases will be strengthened and underpinned by:
- agreement and commitment from all Australian governments;
- robust performance monitoring and accountability; and
- working in partnership with affected communities and community organisations.
We have allocated $9 million per annum from 2008 to 2011 for four national research centres on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
In 2009/10 we invested $5.3 million for community-based organisations, such as the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS, the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, and the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, to support their valuable education and prevention activity in Australia.
Australia's theme for World AIDS Day 2009 is Take Action. No Discrimination. This theme reflects the need to fight a growing complacency toward HIV/AIDS in Australia and adapts the international theme established by the United Nations.
We can all take action on HIV/AIDS by supporting people living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS, being vigilant against discrimination, and promoting behaviour that reduces its transmission such as using a condom and not sharing syringes.
Up to 2008, more than 6,700 Australians have died due to AIDS. An estimated 17,500 people were living with HIV in Australia at the end of 2008 and around 1000 Australians are newly diagnosed each year as HIV positive.
The Rudd Government is committed to revitalising national efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
Further information on World AIDS Day 2009 can be found at www.worldaidsday.org.au
Media Contact: Sam Casey, Mr. McMullan's Office, 0421 697 660
Lisa Sedgwick, Mr. Butler's Office, 0421 444 959
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/AZHU-7YB5LE?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
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Australia helps Burma in fighting HIV/AIDS
Mungpi
Mizzima
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 23:11
New Delhi (Mizzima) - Australia will provide $ 3 million to Burma, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea as part of its effort to help reduce the spread of HIV in Asia-Pacific region.
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) in a statement on World Aids Day on Tuesday said, the assistance will be provided over three years for HIV prevention programmes.
AusAID said, recent studies have found the lack HIV/AIDS education for men having sex with men is one of the main causes of HIV infection in the region, and that its new funding would be channelled to programmes educating men having sex with men.
While Indonesia will receive $ 1.5 million, Burma and Papua New Guinea will receive $ 750,000 each. The aid will be used to fund programmes on educating men who have sex with men.
“$750,000 will be provided through the Three Diseases Fund in Burma to rollout HIV prevention programmes for men who have sex with men, and other vulnerable groups,” the statement said.
According to the UNAIDS ‘2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic’, Burma has an estimated 240,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. But out of this total number, aid volunteers in Rangoon said, about 75,000 people are in urgent need of Antiretroviral (ARV) drug.
Phyu Phyu Thinn, a volunteer in Rangoon helping people living with HIV/AIDS by providing support, told Mizzima in an earlier interview that due to shortage of funds, people living with HIV/AIDS are unable to get ARV drug consistently.
The AusAID’s announcement on ‘World AIDS Day’ came after the ‘Global Fund’, an international Non-Governmental Organisation committed to fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, in November said it will provide funds to Burma after it pulled out of the country in 2005.
Nalin Mehta, Senior Communications Officer of the Global Fund, told Mizzima that following the proposal by Burma, the group’s Board of Directors in its latest round of funding in November approved the funds.
Mehta said the Global Fund has approved US $51,716,207 for the fight against HIV/AIDS, US $37,578,282 for Malaria and US $34,024,424 for Tuberculosis (TB).
The Global Fund terminated its grants to Burma in 2005 because of new restrictions that would have inhibited the management of grants in a way that ensures effective programme management.
But Mehta said, with reference to the newly approved grants in Burma, the Global Fund will seek required guarantees as per the group’s management procedures and the grants will also be governed by additional safeguard policy to ensure the money reaches to those who need it.
But she did not mention the kind of safeguard policy that the group has decided on to monitor the flow of funds.
While a few international organizations including the ‘Three Diseases Fund’ and Global Fund along with countries like Australia have been trying to help Burmese people in their fight against the deadly diseases, volunteer health workers said the Burmese government has made little or no effort.
“There is practically nothing that the government does for people living with HIV/AIDS. They even chase out some from hospitals, saying there are insufficient rooms for them, instead of providing ARV,” a health volunteer in Rangoon told Mizzima on condition of anonymity.
http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/3109-australia-helps-burma-in-fighting-hivaids-.html
