Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement on Monday at the XVII International AIDS Conference announced that Canada will commit $45 million to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa, the Canadian Press/Victoria Star reports. The funding, which is earmarked primarily for projects in Mozambique and South Africa, will be used to provide treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS and education about the virus for at-risk populations. The funds will build on the $515 million in global HIV/AIDS spending that Canada has committed over the past three years, Clement said in a statement (Canadian Press/Victoria Star, 8/5).

Canada is "committed to working with the global community to effectively respond to HIV/AIDS," Clement said, adding that the country's contributions are "achieving results and having a lifesaving impact on people around the world." Beverley Oda, the Canadian minister of international cooperation, said that the country's "investments in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care initiatives are an integral part of helping to improve the health" of low-income people worldwide. Oda added that the Canadian government will "continue its significant support to programs that are well-coordinated, effective and accountable for outcomes that are making a difference" (Public Health Agency of Canada release, 8/4).

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