BANGKOK (AlertNet) - Total global spending on AIDS has risen to $6 billion a year from $1.2 billion in 2000, a five-fold jump, but is likely to fall short of needs by $6 billion next year without dramatic increases, UNAIDS said in a report.

The jump in spending comes largely from donor initiatives, including the Global Fund and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which pledges $15 billion over five years, UNAIDS says in Financing the Expanded Response to AIDS.

“Unless more resources are directed towards the global response, the gap between the need and available resources will grow significantly in coming years,” Paul De Lay, director of evaluation of the Joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS, told a news conference.