PHA-Exch> GLOBAL FUND NEEDS ADDITIONAL $4 BILLION

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at gmail.com>
crossposted from: "[health-vn discussion group]" health-vn at anu.edu.au

The question of how to fill an estimated $4 billion funding gap in the
United
Nations-backed initiative that helps countries fight AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria needs to be urgently addressed, donors at a meeting in the Spanish
city
of Cáceres stressed today, as they wrapped up a review of resource needs.

<"http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/">The Global Fund  estimates that donor
funding for the period 2008-2010 stands at $9.5 billion, $4 billion short of
the
expected demand of at least $13.5 billion.

“In view of the funding gap and the impact of a global economic crisis on
the
developing world, the Global Fund looks forward to how leaders of G-20
[Group of
20 most industrialized] countries address this situation at their summit in
London on 2 April,”

The Group of Eight (G-8) leaders will also address the same
challenge when they meet in La Maddalena, Italy, in July.

Delegates gathered in Spain for the two-day Mid-Term Review meeting of the
Global Fund’s Second Voluntary Replenishment process said much of the
additional
resources needed by the Fund would have to come from donors who have
committed
to increasing their official development assistance (ODA) budgets in order
to
meet development financing targets set at a international conference in
Monterrey in 2002.

The participants, representing 28 donor countries and foundations, also
called
on the Global Fund to step up efforts to seek new government donors and
attract
more private sector contributions, according to a news release issued by the
Fund.

Several donors indicated that they would soon consider making additional
contributions in response to the success achieved by Global Fund programmes.
The
last two years have seen reductions in mortality in a number of countries
for
AIDS and malaria, and a continued fall in global TB prevalence that was
first
noted in 2004.

“We are now affecting the course of these three epidemics. In the case of
malaria, in particular, we are on a trajectory to achieve universal access
to
bed nets by 2011 and have reason to be hopeful the Millennium Development
Goal
for malaria can actually be reached,” said Mr. Kazatchkine, referring to one
of
several development targets set by world leaders in 2000.
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