Follow WHO policies or no funding for HIV/AIDS projects

A workshop to establish a national committee in Sri Lanka of International Council for Science (ICSU) was organized by the National Science Foundation in Colombo, recently.

The ICSU plans and coordinates interdisciplinary research to address major issues of relevance to both science and society. The Council actively advocates for freedom in the conduct of science, promotes equitable access to scientific data and information, and facilitates science education and capacity building.

“The ICSU has a major role to play in leading the global science community, implementing new scientific initiatives and engaging with policy makers and other sectors of society to help realize this vision,” said Professor Nordin Hasan, Director at the ICSU Regional Office for Asia and Pacific.

Science and Technology Minister Professor Tissa Vitarana participating as the Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony stressed the importance of ICSU in exerting the influence of their body in order to benefit developing countries;

“90% of health research funding is directed towards diseases that affect only 10% of the world’s population, i.e. mainly living in affluent countries. Only 10% of global health research funding is directed towards disease problems that affect all the 90% of the world’s people. This is a sad status of affairs in the world. We have to correct that,” he pointed out, according to a press release issued by the ministry.

He also explained his experience as a member of the Global Forum of Health Research, the difficulty of doing so.“WHO has done a lot for the world. But it has gone tragically wrong in regard to AIDS policies. I tried to correct that in Geneva and at the Global Forum of Health Research, but failed. The traditional thinking which came into WHO’s CDC in Atlanta, reflected the interest of a particular community in that developed society. So this is the type of process that determines the world’s policies. We are suffering because of that.”