PHA-Exchange> K ANNAN CALLS FOR SPEEDING UP DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS FOR AIDS, MALARIA AND TB

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K ANNAN CALLS FOR SPEEDING UP DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS FOR AIDS, MALARIA AND TB
New York, Nov 18 2004  5:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today warned that failure to speed 
up disbursement of 
grants already made to the campaign against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis put 
at risk necessary new 
contributions.

"Inextricably linked to resource mobilization efforts is the equally urgent 
need to improve the 
management of grant disbursements," Mr. Annan told the ninth high-level 
session of the Board of the 
<"http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/">Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis 
and Malaria, a unique 
public-private partnership created nearly three years ago on his initiative.

"The urgency of the AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria epidemics demand that 
already committed resources 
reach those who need them far more rapidly than they do today," he said in a 
<"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sgsm9602.doc.htm">message to the 
meeting in Arusha, 
Tanzania, delivered by Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint UN 
Programme on HIV/AIDS 
(<"http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp">UNAIDS).

While necessary oversight was necessary to ensure the money is being spent 
wisely, equal attention 
should be paid to overcoming system constraints to disbursement at the country 
level by working with 
partners to strengthen key national institutions and systems, he added.

"Clearly, the Fund cannot do this alone. But without progress in this area, it 
will remain difficult 
to persuade donors to make further contributions to the Fund," he said.

The Board session, ending on Saturday, is focusing on how increased 
investments can drive back the 
three pandemics in the Great Lakes area of Africa, one of the world's worst-
affected regions, and 
will decide when to call for a new round of grant applications which would be 
submitted for approval 
next year.

Since it was created in early 2002, the Fund has approved proposals worth $3.1 
billion to 314 grants 
in 128 countries. Of this $570 million goes to the countries of the Lake 
Victoria region.
 

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