Financial woes in developed economies are hampering efforts to stop the global spread of AIDS, U2 front man, Bono said Tuesday.

Bono was speaking at the launch of World AIDS day at Sydney's Opera House where he said that: “Times are hard in the Western world,”.

He said that agencies established to help with the global spread of AIDS "were fighting hard for funding".

He added that more funding was required to meet targets set the the Global Fund which aims to eliminate the transmission of HIV from pregnant mothers to their unborn child by 2015.

“In recessionary times, people have to tell their politicians this is important to them,” Bono said.

His call for action comes amid the news yesterday, that almost 6,000 people in Ireland are living with the HIV/AIDS virus.