UNAIDS and the Kaiser Family Foundation just issued a new report on global funding for HIV. This is an annual exercise, where they try to analyze bilateral assistance on HIV to low and middle-income countries. In 2008, HIV funding reached its highest level ever. Some highlights from the report:
*UNAIDS estimates that $22.1 billion was needed to address the epidemic in low- and middle- income countries in 2008. Of this, $15.6 billion was available from all sources.
*Disbursements have risen significantly over the past several years: Between 2002 and 2008, disbursements increased by more than six-fold, including a 56 percent increase in the last period.
*In 2008, disbursements fell short of commitments by about a billion dollars. This doesn’t necessarily represent donor failure – sometimes disbursements just take time.
*The US accounted for 51.3% of all disbursed funds.
This is a useful report, and helps to bring accountability to a field with no single tracking body. It is not, however, without its flaws. According to its methodology notes, it doesn’t include funding to Central Asia or the former Soviet Union in general. It also doesn’t count UN agency funding for HIV if that funding comes from the general UN budget and not a donor earmark for HIV.