Irish Aid HIV/AIDS Partnership with Clinton Foundation

The Minister of State at Irish Aid, Conor Lenihan T.D., today gave the Dáil a detailed breakdown of the partnership agreed with the Clinton Foundation to target HIV/AIDS in Africa. Under the partnership €70 million will be spent in Mozambique and Lesotho over the next five years on the provision of new and enhanced testing, treatment and awareness services.

“Our relationship with the Clinton Foundation means that Irish Aid funds go considerably further in tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Over the past three years the Foundation has dramatically reduced the price of anti-retroviral treatment for people in countries where HIV/AIDS is at crisis levels.”  - Minister of State Lenihan T.D.

• The Irish Aid funding will go directly to the provision of services in Mozambique (€60 million) and Lesotho (€10 million). This support will be channeled through Ireland's missions in each country to the Ministries of Health.   Irish Aid will meet with representatives from the Clinton Foundation in these countries on a regular basis to review cooperation and ensure the continued success of the partnership.

• The new agreement builds on a successful partnership between Irish Aid and the Clinton Foundation. The Foundation has a unique ability to broker deals that allow for much needed HIV/AIDS services and treatments to be provided at lower costs in developing countries.

• In Mozambique, where more than 16% of adults are infected with HIV, additional resources from Irish Aid have enabled the country to successfully introduce HIV treatment into its public health response to HIV/AIDS.  Over the past three years, the Clinton Foundation has brought about a massive price drop in the cost of anti-retroviral treatment (from approximately $18,000 to $180 per patient per year). At the end of June over 27,000 people were on treatment.  Excellent progress has been made, but this is only 10% of those needing treatment.

• Under the new agreement, the partnership is being expanded to Lesotho.  Lesotho, one of Irish Aid's partner countries, has one of the worst rates of HIV in the world. Irish Aid will work with the Government of Lesotho to ensure people in remote regions have access to previously unavailable testing and treatment.

Note to editors:

The recently launched White Paper on Irish Aid reaffirms the priority attached by the Government to addressing the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Institution provides assistance to countries to implement care, treatment and prevention programmes that can reverse the course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. On 29th September the Taoiseach signed a new agreement with President Clinton.  This agreement builds on the existing partnership and commits the Government to continue working with the Foundation up to 2010.  The agreement commits Irish Aid to work jointly with the Foundation in Mozambique and Lesotho towards the achievement of three goals:- to provide financial and technical support towards the implementation of national plans for the prevention, treatment, care and support of people affected by HIV/AIDS; to contribute towards the strengthening of the health system; and to respond to the crisis of human resources for health.

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25 October 2006
Press Office