Press Statement
African Union Member States urged to increase domestic financing for health to end AIDS by 2030

Victoria Falls, 30 November 2014- African Union Member States were urged on Sunday to increase domestic financing to end AIDS by 2030. The high level meeting on domestic financing was jointly hosted by the African Union and the Republic of Zimbabwe on 30 November 2014 in Victoria Falls ahead of the 1 December continental World AIDS Day Celebrations. Various African countries are using different models to tap resources from existing opportunities across the continent to address the AIDS epidemic.
“I am encouraged that a decade after the Abuja commitments, various countries have begun to explore and operationalise sustainable domestic funding options, including earmarking 0.5% to 1% of ordinary government revenues to an HIV Trust Fund” said Dr. David Parirenyatwa, the Minister of Health and Child Care of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
In the last four years alone African countries have increased their domestic resources to fight AIDS by 150%. African countries are closer to reaching the agreed Abuja target of allocating 15% of their total government expenditure to health.

“African countries are now taking advantage of the blossoming of Africa’s economies that has enabled dynamic cycles of domestic revenues, decreased aid dependency and created strong domestic revenues to strengthen health systems” said Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko the Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union Commission.
While considerable progress has been made in recent years in making critical investments in social development including the health sector; the continent continues to lag behind other regions in terms of the proportions of national budgetary resources allocations to the health sector
“Existing financing mechanisms should be enriched with new actors, complementary resources and innovative models as governments alone cannot do everything in the health sector,” said Perry Mwangala, Senior Fund Portfolio Manager at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. “Complementary o the mechanism built into the new funding model of the Global Fund, a critical part of the global resource mobilisation strategy has been to involve implementing countries in the replenishment efforts and also to advocate and demonstrate increased domestic resources for health” he added.
However while Domestic Financing for health will be a major game changer for the future of Africa’s health, Official Development Assistance (ODA) still remains a critical component of solidarity for global health and development. Many of the countries with the heaviest disease burdens are unable to fund their disease responses without international support.
“Community based organisations are mobilising their own communities to mobilise resources for AIDS. Governments and donors should reach out to these grassroots to assist in strengthening their programmes which are making significant progress”; said Richman Rangwani, the Director of Simbarashe AIDS Network.

The meeting also discussed mobilisation of resources for HIV in Environmental Impact Assessments for huge infrastructure projects that are currently ongoing across Africa. The meeting also called for development of key advocacy messages that can be utilized in various key meetings by African leaders to push for domestic financing. This year the continental World AIDS Day Commemorations are being celebrated under the theme “Getting to Zero in Africa: Africa’s Responsibility, Everyone’s Responsibility.
For more information, visit http://www.africa-union.org, http://www.nac.org.zw , www.aidswatchafrica.org

For further information contact
Medelina Dube| Information and Communication Director | National AIDS Council | Tel: +263 4 791178 |E-mail: mdube@nac.org.zw | Web: www.nac.org.zw |Harare| Zimbabwe

Tawanda Chisango| | AWA Programme Advocacy and Partnerships Expert | African Union Commission |Tel: +263 775 859 316| E-mail: Chisangot@africa-union.org
|www.au.int |Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

About the African Union
The African Union spearheads Africa’s development and integration in close collaboration with African Union Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and African citizens. AU Vision:to accelerate progress towards an integrated, prosperous and inclusive Africa, at peacewith itself, playing a dynamic role in the continental and global arena, effectively driven by an accountable,efficient and responsive Commission. Learn more at: http://www.au.int/en
About the National AIDS Council Zimbabwe
The National AIDS Council (NAC) is an organisation enacted through the Act of Parliament of 1999 to coordinate and facilitate the national multi-sectoral response to HIV and AIDS. It is also mandated to administer the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF) collected through the AIDS Levy i.e. the 3% collected from every workers taxable income (PAYE) and corporate tax.