UN Offers New Global AIDS Strategy

"Everybody will find something that is missing in it," said Executive Director of UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Peter Piot at the end of the three-day summit, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"But, for the first time, a number of some of the most controversial issues in AIDS are in there with an internationally agreed text."

The declaration, the first of its kind since a landmark UN AIDS summit in2001 , called for sex education and reproductive health services.

It also advocated male and female condoms and "harm reduction" efforts related to drug use, a euphemism for needle exchange programs for addicts.

The draft stopped short of listing those most at risk to HIV infection, such as intravenous drug users, and opted instead for the euphemistic term "vulnerable groups."

The non-binding document further condemned abuse, rape and other forms of sexual violence as well as trafficking of women and girls.

UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson said the declaration was "a good, substantial and forward-looking document" that contained stronger language.

The declaration aimed to lay down a blueprint for achieving the goal of universal access to AIDS prevention, treatment and care by2010 .

The UN AIDS summit brought together heads of state, prime ministers and health officials from 151 countries.

Financial Failure

The summit, however, fell short of making concrete financial commitments on fighting the epidemic, Reuters reported.

The document said $ 23billion will be needed annually by 2010 to fight AIDS, more than double the $8. 3billion spent in2005 .

Nations agreed to search for additional resources to ensure universal access to treatment by2010 .

But delegations did not commit themselves to a timetable for raising the funds as they did in 2001 when the financial target was met.

The United States led those objecting to financial goals, although Washington, the largest spender on AIDS in the developing world, has set its own targets.

"We are furious," Aditi Sharma, HIV/AIDS campaign and policy coordinator for ActionAid International, told AFP.

"It is incomprehensible how negotiators could come up with such a weak declaration when we needed urgent action to stop8 , 500people dying and13 , 500people from becoming infected every day," Sharma added.

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized in1981 , according to UNAIDS, the UN agency coordinating the fight against the disease.

HIV is transmitted through sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, the sharing of contaminated needles in health care settings and through drug injection, in addition to between mother and infant, during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

Amnesty International said in a recent report that despite active measures to stem the spread of the worldwide epidemic too many people live ignorant of prevention methods and deprived of treatment.

There are over 40 million infected person with HIV virus and more than8 , 000people dying daily of AIDS, according to UN estimates.

Africa has been hit harder by the HIV virus than any other continent.

More than 17 million Africans have died from AIDS and another 25 million are HIV positive, approximately1 . 9million of whom are children, according to the UNAIDS.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than60 % of people living with HIV worldwide.

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