UNAids head raises concerns over declining donor funding

18 July 2016 - 15:04 By Katharine Child

If donors continue to reduce funding‚ as is happening‚ the gains that have been made against Aids will be reversed.That’s according to UNAids executive director Michel Sidibe‚ speaking at the opening of the 21st International Aids Conference alongside Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Oscar-wining actress Charlize Theron‚ on Monday. Sidibe said: "I am scared because we are back in Durban [for the second International Aids Conference here] and…I am seeing for the first time the decline in financing in donor countries.Shock and sadness as fans react to news of Gugu Zulu's deathFans all over the country are mourning the death of race-car driver Gugu Zulu after the Nelson Mandela Foundation announced that he died early on Monday while trying to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. “Thirteen of the 14 donor countries have reduced their funding. I am scared because‚ at the same moment‚ domestic resources are increasingly becoming scarce.“If we continue with this trend‚ we would not be able to end Aids by 2030.”He said South Africa would not be able to put everyone who needed HIV treatment on it without more donors.“We may rebound in this epidemic. We have resistance. We have will have to pay more later‚” Sidibe said.“We saw that with malaria. We reached a level - we almost concluded malaria. Today‚ we have to pay a lot of money again [towards malaria] because we stopped.”Theron‚ in her opening remarks to the media‚ made a call for the world to stop ignoring teenagers‚ saying: “That's who we have neglected for so long.“I am really passionate about the stubborn teenagers - the ones we have not paid enough attention to. I am very grateful to be part of this conference this year as I hope to be a voice for those young girls and boys who have not been paid attention to.”Theron added: “I am very excited to be here as a South African. I think it is very hard to find a South African who has not personally been affected by Aids or HIV.”..

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