UNAIDS Press Release - March 9, 2005

Hilary Benn, UK International Development Secretary, French Minister for Co-operation, Development and Francophonie Xavier Darcos, Randall Tobias US Ambassador and Global AIDS Coordinator, and Dr Peter Piot Executive Director of UNAIDS will address a 93 strong conference of ministers and AIDS ambassadors from developing countries and western nations, civil society, people living with AIDS, multilateral organisations and businesses.

During the conference delegates will focus on three critical areas for improvement to get AIDS funds to those who need it most:

*Action to provide a more effective and coordinated response from donors and multilateral organisations to support individual developing countries deliver effective AIDS programmes;

*the money needed to achieve scaled-up international action to tackle AIDS; and

*the division of responsibilities between international donors, national developing countries and multilateral organisations to deliver money and assistance effectively.

Dr Peter Piot said:

"In order to get ahead of the epidemic, the international community must work together to scale up the AIDS response. This means maximizing donor coordination, mobilising new resources, and ensuring that the available funds for AIDS are spent effectively on the ground. Today's high-level meeting will come up with ways to make the money work."

Hilary Benn said:

ôWhile the international community needs to invest more money to tackle AIDS, we also need to make the money we have work harder. This is a disease which claims 8,000 people a day. That cannot continue. We need better co-ordination between governments and organisations throughout the world to fight a problem which is having such a devastating effect in developing countries.ö

Xavier Darcos said:

"Fighting AIDS requires more money, but it also requires better cooperation. To make the money work, we need to work even closer together with UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. This is what we are supporting today."

Randall Tobias said:

ôThe most important message of the Three Ones, to me, is this: it's not really about us û any of us! The U.S. and other donors have roles to play, to be sure, but this fight must be owned by the nations facing the crisis themselves. The Three Ones represents our promise to developing nations that we will work within their national plan, under their coordinating authority, using their monitoring and evaluation systems.ö Note to Editors

1. In April 2004 (at a meeting hosted by the UK, US and UNAIDS) the leading international and bilateral AIDS donors, with civil society, agreed to principles (known as the æThree Ones') to guide a more harmonised response to support country-led responses to AIDS. These principles support countries to minimise duplication and streamline efforts by having:

*One agreed HIV/AIDS Action Framework that provides the basis for coordinating the work of all partners;

*One national AIDS coordinating authority, with a broad based multi-sectoral mandate; and

*One agreed country level monitoring and evaluation system.

2. At the conference the UK will discuss the need to strengthen coherence in the international system û to achieve a better division of labour in support of nationally-led AIDS responses. The Americans will talk about how action is being taken to translate the Three Ones principles into action. The French will address the financing needs.

For further information please call: UNAIDS press office on 0041 22 791 4509 or DFID press office on 020 7023 0600
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