NEW YORK: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern travels to New York today for the special session of the United Nations general assembly on the HIV/Aids pandemic, and for meetings with Irish-American business leaders.
The UN meeting will review progress on implementing a declaration of commitment to fight Aids, adopted five years ago at a special session of the general assembly.
Mr Ahern, who will be accompanied by Minister of State for Development Co-operation Conor Lenihan, was the only EU leader to attend the 2001 meeting.
This week's meeting will consider recommendations on how to increase HIV prevention, care and support, with the aim of coming as close as possible to the goal of universal access to treatment by 2010.
For the first time, a person living with HIV will address the general assembly plenary, normally reserved for member states and UN officials. There will also be a civil society hearing, where civil society groups can exchange views with member states.
The Government last year increased spending on international aid projects to combat HIV/Aids, malaria, TB and other preventable diseases to €100 million a year. The Republic also supports HIV/Aids programmes implemented through UN agencies and has given €40 million to the global fund for HIV/Aids, TB and malaria since it was established in 2001.
The Irish Aid programme focuses most of its anti-poverty efforts on seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa - Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and South Africa - all of which have serious HIV epidemics.
Mr Ahern will address the assembly on Friday. During his visit, he will also meet Irish-American business leaders and representatives from Irish companies.