UN agencies, European governments and international aid organisations on Monday affirmed their commitment to fighting Burma's Aids epidemic, despite last week's decision by the Global Fund to Fight HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria to withdraw from the military-ruled country.

In Rangoon, UN agencies and humanitarian aid donors are discussing how to fill the financial gap left by the Global Fund, which was to have spent $98m (€79.5m, £54m) over the next five years in Burma. International charities say they will continue to tackle one of south-east Asia's most serious Aids epidemics.