Starting in January 2010, air travelers in the United States and Europe will have a new opportunity to support the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries. Travelers who purchase tickets through online or traditional travel agencies will be asked to make a voluntary contribution of $2, which will be added to the cost of their airline ticket.

The fee will contribute to the fundraising efforts of UNITAID, a small UN agency that focuses on scaling up the accessibility, availability and quality of health care for those afflicted with these diseases.

The idea was instigated by Philippe Douste-Blazy, a medical doctor and former French Foreign Minister, whose current roles are as under secretary general at the UN and as the chairman of UNITAID. While serving as France’s Foreign Minister in 2006, he implemented the idea to add a compulsory fee for development to airline tickets and persuaded 16 other countries to follow suit. The proceeds account for three quarters of UNITAID’s funding.

“This new program will be the first global voluntary citizen contribution system, and it comes at a very important time,” Douste-Blazy told the New York Times. A $46 billion shortfall for the $150 billion needed for the UN to meet its Millennium Development Goals is needed and it is hoped that if the plan is successful, it will help the UN reach these goals by the stated date of 2015.

According to Douste-Blazy, rather than relying on governments to keep their promise to pledge the rest of the money, individual philanthropy will be the best way to make up the shortfall. “The architecture of development is changing,” he told TIME.

Development agencies have enthusiastically endorsed the initiative, with support being offered by both the Clinton Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The plan has also been positively received in the travel industry, with airlines embracing the notion of voluntary donations. Gordon Wilson, CEO of Travelport GDS, the company that runs two reservation systems that will be taking part in the initiative, Galileo and Worldspan, told TIME that, “The overall response is that it makes people feel good about travel but also embraces responsibility.”