Government of Canada's International Role in HIV/AIDS
In the fight against HIV/AIDS, Canada works with partners at all levels from international agencies and governments of developing countries to
community-based groups and the private sector to people living with, or
affected by, the disease. Canada's approach to the pandemic is based on
respecting human rights, promoting gender equality, fighting stigma and
discrimination, developing sound public health evidence to identify the most
appropriate actions, and strengthening health systems so they can provide
better access to medicines.
In the fight against HIV/AIDS, Canada works with partners at all levels from international agencies and developing-country governments...to
community-based groups and the private sector...to people living with, or
affected, by the disease. In keeping with the Millennium Development Goals,
Canada supports universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support
so that the spread of HIV/AIDS can be halted, and ultimately, reversed by
2015.
Political leadership
At the June 2006 High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in New York, Canada,
along with other member states of the United Nations General Assembly
adopted a political declaration which both reaffirmed the 2001 Declaration
of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and committed to renewed efforts in the
global fight against HIV/AIDS, including moving towards the goal of
universal access to comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support
by 2010.
Canada became the first country to implement the 2003 World Trade
Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property Rights and Public Health. This legislation allows for
developing countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity to
import cheaper generic versions of patent-protected medicines from
Canada through compulsory licensing.
Canada helped draft the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
It encourages countries to ratify this agreement, as well as the
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against
Women. These Conventions recognize that children and women may
need special attention to overcome discrimination that undermines
their human rights.
Canada co-hosted both the World Summit for Children in 1990 and
the first major international conference on war-affected children in
2000. It also promoted the optional protocol to the CRC on the
involvement of children in armed conflicts. At the UN Special Session
on Children, Canada successfully negotiated text on issues such as
war-affected children, Aboriginal children, and child participation.
Canada encourages partner countries to fully implement the CRC,
especially in relation to HIV/AIDS.
Canada provides support in developing countries for policy dialogue;
training and quality assurance programs for HIV clinical laboratory
testing; epidemiology, surveillance and modeling; and sharing lessons
learned.
Financial Commitment
Since 2000, Canada has committed more than $800 million to fight
HIV/AIDS, including the following initiatives:
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM)
Canada is the seventh largest donor, having recently approved $250
million for the GFATM. This brings Canada's total contribution to
$550 million, of which 60 per cent goes to combating HIV/AIDS.
World Health Organization's 3 by 5 Initiative
$100 million to help 3 million people in developing countries access
HIV treatment by December 2005; Canada was one of the first and
largest donors. While the target was not fully met, the progress gave
much-needed momentum as the global community now works towards
universal access.
Gender Equality and HIV/AIDS
$67.4 million to the United Nations Population Fund, including $58.4
million for the area of sexual and reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS
among women and girls. The remaining $9 million will help improve the
distribution of supplies for reproductive health.
Vaccines and Microbicides
$62 million to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative since 2000.
$5 million to the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (2003-2007) to
strengthen institutional performance and accountability for trials of
potential vaccines specific to Africa.
$15 million to the International Partnership for Microbicides (20042007) to research and develop innovative approaches that protect
women and girls from HIV with measures they themselves can control.
$3 million through the Global Health Research Initiative to support
Canadian and African research capacity partnerships in HIV
prevention.
In addition, Canada is also supporting the following initiatives:
Health systems
$450 million over the next decade to support country-led efforts to
strengthen health systems, improve health outcomes and make
progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. This
new 10-year funding will also help to reinforce other Canadian
commitments to address disease-specific health challenges in Africa
such as HIV/AIDS.
Through the Global Engagement Component of the Federal Initiative
to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada, policy and technical expertise is
provided to build capacity in developing country health sector
responses including through the hosting of policy dialogues, the
provision of training and quality assurance programs for HIV clinical
laboratory testing, assistance with epidemiology, surveillance and
modeling, and the sharing of lessons learned in the management of
national AIDS strategies. Funding is available for activities that will
increase Canada's contribution of programmatic and policy expertise
to the global response to HIV/AIDS and promote learning between
the domestic and global responses to HIV/AIDS.