Port Moresby, June 5, 2006 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Australia and New Zealand today signed an agreement with Asian Development Bank (ASX: ATB) and the Government of Papua New Guinea to contribute grants of US$3.5 million each to a project that will help contain the spread of HIV/AIDS in PNG.
ADB approved a US$15 million grant in April for the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in Rural Development Enclaves Project, for which the PNG Government is also providing counterpart funding of about US$3 million.
As of mid-2004, around 47,000 people were infected with HIV virus in Papua New Guinea and the epidemic has reached a critical stage in its infection patterns.
The project will focus on combating the disease in rural areas where communities are centered on mines, plantations, fisheries, or other private sector operations.
In these HIV/AIDS hotspots, the project will seek higher levels of coordination among government, the private sector, development partners, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations, private sector organizations, and affected communities.
An important element of the project will be to work with communities and NGOs to bring about long-term behavioral change and monitor progress.
The Australian and New Zealand contributions will help contract a non-profit company to market and distribute condoms for an initial four years on a country-wide basis.
The project's total cost is estimated at US$25 million. ADB' grant is provided from its Asian Development Fund, which provides concessional loans and grants for its poorest developing member countries.
Contact
David Kruger
Email: dkruger@adb.org
Tel:+632 632 5204; +63 916 767 3671
Graham Dwyer
Email: gdwyer@adb.org
Tel:+632 632 5253; +632 898 3413; +63 915 741 4363
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