The World Bank's Global HIV/AIDS Program is hosting a series of high-level debates on the constantly changing dynamics of the AIDS epidemic.

With leading donor countries emerging slowly from economic crisis, development aid flows are under heavy pressure. There are indications from some bilateral agencies that their AIDS funds may have to be reduced this year. Others, including the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, are seeking “efficiency gains” and carefully examining ways to prioritize technically sound grant proposals in situations where country demand may exceed available grant resources.

The global crisis is affecting many countries’ plans for reaching universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. In this scenario, The World Bank's Global HIV/AIDS Program and the Office of HIV/AIDS at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are hosting a series of high-level debates on the constantly changing dynamics of the AIDS epidemic.

This initiative aims at providing governments, development agencies, civil society organizations, communities of people living with HIV, and other partners with evidence and knowledge to achieve better results with the resources available.

The bi-monthly debate series began on 19 May 2010 at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., with a discussion on what constitutes an effective "HIV test and treat" strategy titled Test and Treat: Can We Treat Our Way Out of the HIV Epidemic?

The expert panelists will debate the issue, followed by a broader discussion. Using the World Bank’s Global Development Learning Network's video conferencing and web-based technologies, country teams in Africa and other partners will also be able to take part, and the events are also streamed live via the web.

Running until World AIDS Day 2010, upcoming topics include discussions on public health, PrEP and HIV prevention, and development coordination. The next one is scheduled for 29 June 2010.