O'Donnell promises resources for global AIDS

Ireland is in a position to commit "very significant additional resources" to the global fight against HIV and AIDS, the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Ms Liz O'Donnell said this morning.

the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell.

Speaking after a meeting between EU development ministers and the director general of the World Health Organisation Ms O'Donnell said: "Next year the Ireland Aid programme will increase by 55 per cent or over £100 million."

She said: "This is an unprecedented rate of expansion for any donor and will see Ireland reaching the Government's interim target of spending 0.45 per cent of GNP on overseas development aid."

"AIDS is now the primary cause of death in Africa where most of our assistance is targeted. It is the central development challenge of our time. Both the Taoiseach and I have, over the past year, worked to push the issue up the EU and UN agenda," she said.

Ms O'Donnell said: "We will look at all available channels for disbursing our funds including the new Global Fund, additional debt relief, more money in our bilateral programmes, increased funding for NGO activities and increases in our funding to organisations such as UNAIDS."