Press Release

OFID urges further commitment at AIDS 2006

75/2006 August 11, 2006, Vienna, Austria
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The Director-General of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Mr. Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish, has commended the on-going efforts of certain development institutions and called for greater commitment to the global campaign against HIV/AIDS.  Mr. Al-Herbish lauded the progress accomplished thus far in containing the pandemic and said he was convinced that more could be done. The OFID Director-General was speaking ahead of AIDS 2006, the XVI International AIDS Conference, holding August 13-18, in Toronto, Canada. OFID is attending the conference as a sponsoring agency.

At the head of a four-member OFID delegation, Mr. Al-Herbish will address a High Level Plenary Session; make a special presentation on the aims and record of OFID as a development finance institution; and join partner organizations at a key press conference. OFID is also presenting its work and publications in an exhibition featuring similar international institutions, pharmaceutical companies, civil society organizations and government agencies.

OFID has been active in the campaign against HIV/AIDS since 2001. A Special Grant Account for HIV/AIDS Operations has been funding projects and programs aimed at prevention, care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS across the world. The account was established by the policy-making Ministerial Council of OFID and endowed with an initial amount of US$15 million. This was enhanced and now stands at a cumulative US$50 million. With the resources, OFID has been working in collaboration with lead agencies in the field, including UNAIDS (the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS); UNICEF, UNESCO, UN-ECA, UNHCR, UNFPA, WHO, ILO, IFRC and others. Many countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have benefited from the Special Grant Account.

The XVI International AIDS Conference is organized by the International AIDS Society in collaboration with UNAIDS, the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS; the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations and the Canadian AIDS Society, among others. The Conference is a biennial event; and the theme this year is “Time to Deliver,” which underscores the continued urgency in bringing effective HIV prevention, care and treatment to communities the world over. The theme also reminds the international community of past and present commitments for action. The organizers say AIDS 2006 will be a unique opportunity for science, governments and local leadership from around the world “to advance our collective response to this crisis.” Over 20,000 delegates are expected to attend, making AIDS 2006 one of the largest global health meetings in history. OFID attended the preceding two conferences and is supporting, with a US$350,000 grant, the organization of the present conference.