World leaders must deliver on Global Fund commitments
News from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance
2 September 2005: for immediate release
On 5-6 September, the world will be watching to see whether rich governments deliver on their HIV/AIDS commitments, as the Global Fund to Fight Aids Tuberculosis and Malaria holds its replenishment conference in London.
The replenishment conference will be the first test of the wider commitments that G8 governments made at Gleneagles in July, including the historic move to provide universal access to anti-retroviral treatment for all those who need it, and to adequately fund the Global Fund.
The Global Fund estimates that it needs to raise $2.9 billion for 2006 and $4.2 billion for 2007 to fund its responses to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. If the historic promises made at Gleneagles are to become a reality, all developed country governments need to set more ambitious contribution targets for the Global Fund – and put up the money now.
The Global Fund has given hope to many communities devastated by HIV/AIDS. In just three years, it has disbursed $1.4 billion to developing country programmes, with recent figures indicating that 80% of these programmes have exceeded their success targets. To date, 397,000 children orphaned by AIDS have received social, medical and educational support, more than 2.5 million people have received counselling and been tested for HIV, and tens of millions have been reached through evidence-based prevention programmes. Global Fund grants have financed HIV/AIDS treatment in over 100 countries, and 220,000 people to date have received anti-retroviral treatment through Global Fund-supported national programmes.
Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Executive Director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance said: “If we are to turn the tide of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, sustaining and augmenting the life-saving progress that the Global Fund has made is critical – as is improving the effectiveness of health investments in developing countries. This requires predictable, sustained financing for the Global Fund.
“Will the warm words of rich governments translate into action? Communities all over the world, people living with HIV, their lovers, families and friends will be watching.”
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Editor’s notes
- For more information about the work of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and to arrange interviews, please contact Simon Moore. T: 01273 718744. E: smoore@aidsalliance.org or Rhian Evans. T: 01273 718961. E: revans@aidsalliance.org
- The International HIV/AIDS Alliance has been supporting community action on AIDS in developing countries since 1993. It has worked with community organisations from over 40 developing countries, provided financial support to over 3,000 projects (implemented by over 2,000 community and faith-based groups), and channelled over USD 100 million to organisations across the world. Expenditure in 2004 alone was approximately USD 37 million.
