“There is no doubt that” a 10 percent reduction in funding from donor governments for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries in 2010 from the previous year’s levels “is linked to economic strain felt by countries across the globe,” a VOA News editorial says. “UNAIDS estimates that an investment of at least $22 billion will be needed by 2015 in order to avert more than seven million deaths,” the editorial states, adding, “It is clear that continued support to HIV prevention and treatment is a necessary investment, even in these difficult times.”

According to the editorial, “The United States remains the global leader in fighting HIV/AIDS, providing 54 percent of all donor government funds for global HIV/AIDS. Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, the U.S. has committed to support treatment for more than four million people, prevention of more than 12 million new HIV infections and care for more than 12 million people. But saving lives must be a shared responsibility. It is critical that all countries step up to the plate to reach ambitious and aggressive goals,” VOA concludes.