Canada's pledge revives global AIDS bid

PRETORIA -- Canada pledged $72 million to the World Health Organization yesterday to help it reach its goal of treating 3 million people living with AIDS by the end of next year, reinvigorating a program that was rapidly running out of money.

The money doubles the amount in the WHO fund, which is still roughly $70 million short of what the WHO says it needs by the end of next year to help train 100,000 people to administer anti-retroviral drugs to those with AIDS in developing countries.

Jim Yong Kim, director of the WHO's department of HIV/AIDS, said in a telephone interview from Geneva that without the pledge, the project had only enough money for the next four months. ''Now we are going to essentially build an army to provide the services the WHO has been asked to do," he said. ''The WHO should be able at the drop of a hat bring to any country of the world its best expertise to do things" to meet health crises. ''With this money, we are going to send a group of people all over the world and help ministries of health set up programs to treat people with AIDS."

About 400,000 people with AIDS in the developing world are currently receiving anti-retroviral drugs. The WHO estimates that 4.1 million people with AIDS should be receiving treatment.

Many specialists had scoffed at WHO's goal, calling it unattainable because of poor infrastructure and because too few people with AIDS know they are infected. But others applauded the health group for adding urgency to the effort against AIDS and encouraging rich and poor countries to consider ways of accelerating the process of treating those infected.

The WHO's plan includes sending teams of experts to countries to evaluate health systems as well as examine the coordination of different programs sponsored by a variety of donors. Additional hundreds of millions of dollars -- the majority coming from the Bush administration's new AIDS initiative -- are being earmarked worldwide this year, but many health ministers in sub-Saharan Africa have complained that they are being bypassed and that multiple efforts are sometimes working at cross-purposes.

Canada's announcement is part of its growing efforts to fight AIDS in the developing world. Parliament is considering legislation that would allow the production in Canada of generic drugs for AIDS and other diseases that could be sold at cheaper prices in the developing world. Prime Minister Paul Martin's government also is expected to announce a donation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Stephen Lewis, a Canadian who is the UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, called in February on countries to fully fund the $200 million WHO initiative, which is known as ''3 by 5," standing for treating 3 million by 2005.

He said without immediate funding, the world would face the end of one of the most exciting developments against AIDS in recent years. Lewis told the 11th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, ''Rich countries should provide the funds, and frankly, $200 million is a laughable pittance when compared to what the world spends its money on these days. . . . It cannot be allowed to fail."

The pledge comes a week before the opening of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, which is expected to attract health ministers from 192 countries. ''This donation will make the meeting a lot happier," Kim said.

John Donnelly can be reached at donnelly@globe.com