KAMPALA, July 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Six countries in the Great Lakes region have signed an agreement to establish the Great Lakes Initiative on AIDS (GLIA), said a press release issued by the Office of Ugandan Presidency on Thursday.

    The agreement to establish the GLIA was signed in Bujumbura, Burundi on Tuesday by Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda after a realization of the need to have a joint AIDS program within the Great Lakes region to fight the scourge.

    "This is due to the intensive cross-border movement and interactions within the Great Lakes region," the press release said.

    However, the press release said that the agreement, to be funded by the World Bank, will be presented to the respective cabinets for ratification.

    The Ugandan delegation attending the signing ceremony was led by Minister for Presidency Kirunda Kivejinja. Its members include Director General of the Uganda AIDS Commission Kihumuro Apuli and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Enditem