A/HRC/29/35 reporting of high-quality results on the AIDS response are crucial components of the UNAIDS plan for continued mutual responsibility and international solidarity.18 27. During the period from 1996 to 2012, global investments for a concerted AIDS response increased from US$ 300 million to about US$ 15 billion. Those considerable financial contributions substantiated the political declarations that had been made and resulted in impressive returns – from a global increase in access to prevention and treatment to significant declines in new infections and in AIDS-related fatalities. Similarly, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS , Tuberculosis and Malaria caused a drop in the price of antiretroviral drugs and set the conditions for fixing the prices of pharmaceuticals. 19 Commitments by donors both large and small, national investments by States, the significant impact of the Global Fund and initiatives such as the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief have proved crucial in tackling the urgent need for sustained funding.20 Political entities and policymakers also rose to the occasion, discussing and making crucial decisions regarding the issue in relation to finance and debt.21 The funds raised from cancellation of debt or debt relief have assisted countries in their efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and to implement poverty reduction programmes. 22 C. Building on international solidarity 28. International solidarity, in the true sense of the term, should inform the new opportunities for economic growth and the development of the world economy that have been brought about by globalization but that have, however, also been accompanied by a widening gap between developed and developing countries, widespread poverty and inequality including gender inequality, unemployment, social erosion and environmental risks. The ongoing globalization of trade and capital contributes to the interconnectedness and interdependence of individuals and States, presenting challenges that demand increased coordination and collective decision-making at the global level. It is in this area that international solidarity can deploy international cooperation to promote a global enabling environment that should not be limited to the promotion of economic growth through unchecked trade liberalization and free movement of capital. Instead, international cooperation should actively promote a multilateral trading and investment system that is conducive to the realization of all human rights. Establishment of a fair, inclusive and rights-based international trade and investment regime requires that all States, acting in solidarity and pursuant to their common but differentiated responsibilities, recognize their obligations to ensure that no international trade agreement or policy to which they are party adversely impacts upon the protection and promotion of human rights inside or outside of their borders. The notion of international obligations becomes even more relevant in the present context of globalization, where the role of the State is increasingly being reduced, inadvertently in some cases, it might be argued. Whether or not this is the case, the State’s capacity to respect, protect and fulfil human rights is diminished. In such a context, the value of international cooperation, a key feature of international solidarity, takes on even more importance, particularly in connection with supporting a State that needs assistance in complying with its core human rights obligations. Collective action by States in 18 19 20 21 22 UNAIDS, Global AIDS Response Progress Reporting 2015, p. 4. See UNAIDS, Aids at 30: Nations at the Crossroads (footnote 18). See www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/UNAIDS_2012_LetterToPartners_en_1.pdf. See UNAIDS, Aids at 30: Nations at the Crossroads (footnote 18). See www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2002/TheInternationalResponsetoHIVAIDS.aspx. 11