Africa's biggest ever HIV/AIDS summit opened in Nigeria today with UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan unveiling an action plan to fight the disease.
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Mr Annan told delegates including nearly 50 heads of state and former US president Mr Bill Clinton the conference was "about the African future".
"At a minimum we need to spend an additional $7 billion to $10 billion a year. It sounds a lot and it is a lot. But it is a little more than 1 percent of the world's annual military spending," he said.
Current spending on AIDS in developing countries is around $1 billion annually.
Mr Annan said the "war chest" would be feasible if developed countries were persuaded to spend more on fighting the epidemic.
"We are here to face a continent-wide emergency. Our first objective must be to prevent and halt the virus. Everyone who is not infected needs to know what they need to do to avoid it," Mr Annan said.
The UN chief also called for a reduction of HIV transmission from mother to child - calling it "the cruellest, most unjust infections of all" - and access to cheap drugs for the very poor.
Annan reiterated the urgent need to finding a cure and vaccine for HIV/AIDS and to protect those made vulnerable by the epidemic, especially orphans.
The two-day summit, organised by Nigeria, the Organisation of African Unity and the World Health Organisation, was also addressed by Mr Clinton, who said AIDS has "doubled mortality, tripled child mortality and slashed life expectancy by 20 years" in some African countries.
AFP