Ireland, Clinton Foundation Sign $158.2 Million Agreement To Provide AIDS Drugs to Mozambique
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern on Monday signed an agreement with former President Bill Clinton to donate up to $158.2 million to the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation for the purchase of antiretroviral drugs for HIV-positive people in Mozambique, making the country the world's third largest buyer of AIDS drugs, the Irish Examiner reports. Under the agreement, Ahern committed the country to providing $71.9 million over five years with the possibility of an additional allocation of $86.3 million. The grant will enable Mozambique to provide access to HIV/AIDS treatment for up to 500,000 people, according to the Examiner (Sheahan, Irish Examiner, 7/8). The agreement provides for a collaborative effort between the Clinton Foundation and the government's Development Cooperation Ireland, making the country the first nation to publicly declare its support for increasing access to antiretrovirals, Clinton said at the signing (McKenna, Irish Independent, 7/8). The Clinton Foundation HIV/ AIDS Initiative aims to assist nations in implementing large-scale treatment, care and prevention programs (Clinton Foundation Web site, 7/8).
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