PHA-Exchange> Global Fund invites Funding Applications

[Claudio]

> Dear all,
> 
> The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
> Malaria has issued a
> call for a new round
> of proposals for grant funding.The new round of grants
> will contribute
> to a substantial
> increase in the amount of money available in the
> global fight against
> the three diseases.
> 
> Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund to Fight
> AIDS, Tuberculosis
> and Malaria has
> grown to become the world's largest financier of
> programs to fight the
> three diseases.
> AIDS, TB and malaria together kill more than six
> million people each
> year and impede
> economic and  social development in a large number of
> developing
> countries.
> 
> "We are looking for proposals of the highest quality,
> particularly from
> partnerships that
> include the private sector and local non-governmental
> organizations,"
> said US Secretary of
> Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. Mr Thompson,
> who is also the
> chairman of the
> Global Fund board said the money was expected to "to
> meet the greatest
> challenge of our
> times - turning back the tide of these three
> pandemics".
> 
> The current call is the fourth round of proposals. In
> three previous
> rounds, the Global
> Fund has committed US$ 2.1 billion over two years to
> 224 programs in
> over 120 countries to
> combat the three diseases. This round of proposals
> comes in the wake of
> the World Health
> Organization and UNAIDS' launch of the "three-by-five"
> initiative to
> provide anti-AIDS
> treatment for three million people living with HIV by
> the end of 2005.
> 
> The Global Fund will provide many countries with their
> main opportunity
> to finance the
> massive expansion of services needed to succeed in
> this commitment.This
> round will also
> encourage countries to submit ambitious, large-scale
> proposals to
> combat malaria. A number
> of countries are now ready to conduct a major
> offensive against
> malaria," says Dr Richard
> Feachem, Executive Director of the Global Fund.
> 
> "We have effective tools to prevent and treat malaria.
> We need to
> spread these tools to as
> many countries and people as possible." The fourth
> round of proposals
> also represents a
> major opportunity for private sector companies to
> expand their efforts
> to prevent and
> treat these diseases
> among their work force and in the surrounding
> communities.
> 
> In December, nine global companies with operations in
> countries
> affected by HIV/AIDS
> announced that they will use their facilities,
> employees and other
> infrastructure to
> expand workplace HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment
> programs into
> communities where they
> operate.
> 
> By using infrastructure that was created to serve
> their employees, this
> corporate
> contribution will be able to expand public programs
> and reduce their
> start-up and running
> costs. Companies can now submit proposals for
> co-investment in
> prevention and treatment of
> the three diseases to the Global Fund, increasing the
> impact of their
> own efforts.
> 
> "I urge companies around the world to submit proposals
> for combating
> the three diseases,
> expanding workplace prevention and treatment programs
> into communities
> where they
> operate," said Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former
> diplomat and
> president of the Global
> Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS.
> 
> The deadline for submission of proposals is April 5,
> 2004.Proposals are
> evaluated by an
> independent Technical Review Panel of health and
> development experts.
> Proposals found to
> be of a sufficiently high standard will be recommended
> for funding to
> the Global Fund's
> Board, which will meet at the end of June. Over the
> past three rounds,
> roughly 40 per cent
> of submitted proposals have been deemed to have the
> technical quality
> necessary to be
> recommended for funding. All recommended proposals
> have so far been
> funded.
> 
> The Global Fund is a unique global public-private
> partnership dedicated
> to attracting and
> disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat
> AIDS, tuberculosis
> and malaria. This
> partnership between governments, civil society, the
> private sector and
> affected
> communities represents a new approach to international
> health
> financing. The Fund works in
> close collaboration with other bilateral and
> multilateral organizations
> to supplement
> existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.
> 
> The Global Fund has been established as an independent
> private
> foundation under Swiss law
> and is governed by an international Board. Apart from
> a high standard
> of technical
> quality, the Global Fund attaches no conditions to any
> of its grants.
> It is not an
> implementing agency. It relies on local ownership and
> planning to
> ensure that new
> resources are directed to programs on the frontline of
> this global
> effort, reaching those
> most in need.
> 
> Its performance-based approach to grant-making - where
> grants are only
> disbursed if
> progress has been measured and verified - is designed
> to ensure that
> funds are used
> efficiently and create real change for people and
> communities.
> 
> ***********************
> Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit proposals
> through a
> new web-based Proposals and Grants Management System
> available on the
> website in English, French, and Spanish from January
> 14 2004.
> 
> Updated guidelines and application forms are also
> available for
> downloading from www.theglobalfund.org/en/apply/call/.
> Applicants
> unable
> to use the web-based version may request a CD-ROM from
> the Global Fund
> Secretariat.
> Forward by: Paul Udoto