Accra, March 16, GNA - The International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa (IPAA), is to assist six African countries to mobilise resources to deal with the HIV-AIDS epidemic.

Assistance would also be extended to 24 more countries in the next two years. A statement in Accra on Thursday, said the agreement was contained in a declaration at the end of a two-day meeting in Harare, last month.

The declaration said that, "all African countries seeking assistance are also eligible for support." IPAA, which embraces WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, UNESCO, the World Bank and the UN Drug Control Programme, aims at controlling the spread of HIV and reducing its impact on human suffering.

Delegates noted "the absolute necessity for a rapid acceleration of the international and national response to AIDS throughout Africa" and requested governments for multi-sectoral national strategic anti-AIDS programmes to control the disease.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr. Ebrahim M Samba, WHO Regional Director for Africa, called for accelerated action to deal with the epidemic and appealed to the international community to contribute to anti-AIDS programmes.

"Funds are needed urgently to step up information and education campaigns in order to promote blood safety, procure and distribute condoms for men and women and purchase drugs for the treatment of opportunistic infections and other sexually transmitted diseases.

"Eighty per cent of AIDS problems were in Africa but only 10 per cent of the resources are available and we need to address this imbalance urgently. Dr Samba said WHO intervention is showing significant results, especially in the area of care adding that "we have received reports of previously desperate people living with AIDS now seeing reasons for hope and to live."