The last time Namibia submitted a proposal for US$49,1 million to fund some HIV projects over a five-year period in 2006, the country did not get a cent - something that was regarded as a major blow to efforts to curb the negative impact of the disease.

Health Permanent Secretary Kahijoro Kahuure announced this week that a meeting would be held on April 2 to brief various partners in the national response to HIV-AIDS on the road ahead.

The only time Namibia's HIV-AIDS programmes have received money from the Global Fund was during Round Two proposals in 2002 when the country got US$104 million.

A follow up application for HIV-AIDS was seen as not being "of sound technical quality".

Namibia has since been recognised at the World AIDS Assembly in New York as an example of good work done to curb the disease.

Namibia ranks among the top five worst HIV-affected countries in the world.

Since the first HIV prevalence study among pregnant women in the country, which recorded a 4,2 per cent prevalence in 1992, the rate of infection rose rapidly and reached a peak of 22,3 per cent in 2002.

At the end of 2006, UNAIDS estimated the adult prevalence rate to be 19,9 per cent.

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