[hivaids-twg] UN-BACKED GLOBAL FUND AWARDS $2.4 BILLION TO FIGHT KILLER DISEASES OVER NEXT TWO YEARS

[HIV-TWG Moderator]

UN-BACKED GLOBAL FUND AWARDS $2.4 BILLION TO FIGHT KILLER DISEASES OVER NEXT
TWO YEARS
New York, Nov 12 2009 10:05AM
The United Nations-backed <"http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/">Global Fund
today announced that it has approved new grants worth $2.4 billion to
projects aimed at fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in low-income
countries over the next two years.

This latest round of grants bring the Global Fund’s overall commitment to
combating the three diseases – which estimates say kill over 4 million
people each year – to more than $18.4 billion for 144 countries since it was
created in 2002.

“These grants enable countries around the world to address some of the main
problems they are struggling with every day,” <"
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/pressreleases/?pr=pr_091112">said Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Chair of the Global Fund Board of Directors.

“These grants are based on the countries’ own needs and priorities and they
are therefore a particularly effective source of financing,” added Dr.
Ghebreyesus.

The Fund also approved the roll-out of a $216 million pilot scheme to reduce
prices for effective malaria medicines for nine African countries and
Cambodia. The initiative has been funded with contributions from UNITAID,
the United Kingdom and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“We are seeing a tremendous demand for funding,” said Global Fund Executive
Director Michel Kazatchkine.

“Countries are showing that they are able to effectively turn large amounts
of money from donors into prevention, care and treatment of AIDS, TB and
malaria, which in turn will save millions of lives,” added Mr. Kazatchkine.

Yet, he warned that without a significant boost in contributions to the
Global Fund from donor countries, “we may not be able to continue approving
such amounts of financing and see continued progress in health in the coming
years.”

The Fund’s Board also decided to reform its financing process from a
grant-by-grant model to continuous funding streams for countries which will
now have to manage the grants, resulting in a more simplified reporting
system and allowing more long-term planning for individual countries.
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