Sweden has pledged to donate an additional 5 million dollars to a trust fund to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Monday.
The Manila-based bank said Sweden’s latest commitment brings to 19.3 million dollars its total contribution to the Cooperation Fund for Fighting HIV/AIDS since the facility was created in 2005.
‘The fund is an important instrument to helping ADB’s developing member countries implement effective responses to HIV/AIDS,’ said Tadashi Kondo, head of ADB’s Office of Co-financing Operations.
‘It has supported increased dialogue and partnerships, resulting in more focused and results-oriented interventions,’ he added.
The bank noted that HIV/AIDS remain a scourge across much of the region, estimating that around 4.9 million people in Asia alone are living with the virus.
It added that HIV incidence is increasing in low-prevalence countries such as Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzsan, the Philippines and Tajikistan in recent years.
The trust fund is a multi-donor facility administrated by the ADB. It provides grants to help countries push forward national and regional initiatives against the virus.
The fund works in partnership with major development agencies to complement their work.
