Great Britain Pledges $214 M to UNAIDS, UNFPA for HIV/AIDS, Women’s Reproductive Health Initiatives

Great Britain on Tuesday pledged $214 million to UNAIDS and the United Nations Population Fund for HIV/AIDS and women's reproductive health initiatives in developing countries, Reuters reports. About $66 million will go to UNAIDS over the next four years and approximately $148 million will be allocated for UNFPA over the same four-year period, according to Hilary Benn, secretary of staff for the country's Department for International Development. The funding represents a more than 20% increase in the country's UNFPA contribution and triples the country's contribution to UNAIDS. According to Benn, sexual and reproductive health are "inextricably linked" to AIDS. "By taking action on one, we know we are also helping to tackle the other," Benn said, adding that "UNFPA's work ... is absolutely critical to efforts to prevent the spread of HIV" (Reuters, 6/6). According to the 2004 UNAIDS Report of the Global AIDS Epidemic, released on Tuesday, almost half of people infected with HIV worldwide are women (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/7).