Minister Brophy announces €2.5 million Irish Aid funding to UNAIDS

The Minister for Overseas Development Aid and the Disapora, Colm Brophy TD, today announced Irish Aid funding of €2.5 million to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. The Minister made the announcement at a meeting with UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, to mark UN Day of Zero Discrimination.

Minister Brophy said:
“I was particularly interested to hear from Winnie Byanyima her vision for UNAIDS. Under her leadership UNAIDS will have an important role to play if we are to achieve the ambition of the Sustainable Development Goals of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”

“Irish Aid has a longstanding partnership with UNAIDS, which forms part of our work to strengthen global public health systems. That work is informing our Irish Aid response to the COVID-19 pandemic, just as it is the UNAIDS response. As we move on from this time of pandemic, continued, sustained investment in global public health will be required, drawing on the lessons learned from the response to HIV and AIDS, including on how we can best tackle stigma and discrimination.”

“This additional Irish Aid funding will support the work of UNAIDS over the next year, including on fighting stigma and discrimination, advocating for the removal of harmful laws, and providing vital services.”

Welcoming the announcement, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said:

“Ireland is a strong leader in the global AIDS response and continues to be a steadfast ally to UNAIDS. This additional financial contribution from Irish Aid is an important signal at a time when the world must step up its efforts to remove laws that harm and instead create laws that empower so that people can receive life-saving and life-changing HIV services.”