(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-01 15:22

One of the biggest areas of concern in the worldwide fight is funding.

The war against AIDS "continues to be undermined by a global resource gap," says Alvaro Bermejo, executive director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance.

According to the UN, there is currently an eight-billion-dollar shortfall in resources to fight AIDS, including for basic prevention, treatment and care for orphaned children.

To meet the Group of Eight (G8) goal of providing universal access to ARVs by 2010, US$42 billion will be needed. So far, only US$15.4 billion is in the kitty.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, speaking in New York Friday, called on governments to accelerate effort towards that goal.

"I call for leadership among all governments in fully understanding the epidemic - so that resources go where they are most needed," he said in a speech. And I call for leadership at all levels to scale up towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010," he said.

US President George W. Bush also marked the day by repeating his call on US lawmakers to double support for anti-AIDS programmes to 30 billion dollars over five years.

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