HIV :: WHO congratulates Canada and the Gates Foundation on their new HIV vaccine research

I am delighted to welcome the new initiative announced today by the Government of Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to contribute to global efforts to develop HIV vaccines – Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

Developing a safe and effective vaccine to protect people against HIV is one of the most important goals in public health. The world has already lost tens of millions of lives to this virus and we must do everything we can to prevent future deaths.

The new Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative partnership will make a significant contribution to this effort through the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, established through the efforts of the G8 countries.

The new initiative will provide support to researchers and to research institutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, to build and strengthen their capacity to discover, develop and test HIV vaccines.

The government of Canada has pledged US$ 111 million to the initiative. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged US$ 28 million.