Cash for condoms in developing world

The one-off payment to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is intended to reduce transmission rates of HIV.

Some of the money will also be spent on drugs to treat sexually-transmitted infections.

International Development Secretary Clare Short said: "The Aids pandemic is spreading at an alarming rate, with up to a quarter of all adults infected in some African countries.

"Access to safe contraception and reproductive health services for all is one of the international development targets and a core component of Britain's health strategy for the developing world."

Rising demand

The UNFPA had faced the prospect of being unable to meet a rising demand for barrier contraceptives in the developing world.

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) said: "A shortfall of £500,000 could lead to 360,000 unwanted pregnancies, 150,000 unsafe abortion, more than 800 maternal deaths, and 11,000 child deaths."

The UK already gives more than £15m to the UNFPA annually.

The Netherlands has also announced a similar extra grant of $39m.

Dr Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the fund, welcomed the donations.

He said: "It shows the commitment of the Netherlands and the UK to the right of women and men around the world to have access to reproductive health care and especially safe and effective methods of family planning."

In developing countries, according to the fund, six out of 10 couples now use some form of family planning, compared to one in 10 in the 1960s.

Demand for contraceptives is likely to grow by 40% between now and 2015.

Shortages have been reported in sub-Saharan African countries such as Ethiopia, Chad, DR Congo, Nigeria, Angola and Namibia.

However, even countries such as the Russian Federation have reported shortfalls.

The UN has pledged to make access to reproductive health care universal by 2015.

The UK is currently UNFPA's fourth largest annual donor.