The Global Fund welcomes and applauds proposed US$ 30 bn for AIDS
30 May 2007
"A challenge to rich countries to save lives"
Geneva - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today warmly welcomed the U.S. proposal to extend the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for another five years and double its resources. It particularly applauded the timing of the announcement just before the G8 summit as the U.S. announcement will set a bold tone for the discussions among the heads of the wealthiest nations about the global AIDS response and the resource needs of the Global Fund.
"PEPFAR is a promise the U.S. has kept, an emergency response to match the scale of the AIDS emergency," said Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund. "The initiative has saved lives and has been part of a growing war on AIDS and other diseases that kill the poorest people on earth. It will enable the U.S. to continue its leading role in the effort to get AIDS treatment, care and prevention to everyone who needs it by 2010. We trust this proposal will inspire increased commitments from other countries."
Approximately 2.2 million people in the developing world receive life-saving AIDS treatment, of approximately 6 million who need it. Later this week, PEPFAR and the Global Fund will release the latest treatment estimates, showing a continued, sharp rise in the number of people receiving AIDS medication from the two programs.
To match global demand for money to fight diseases and strengthen health systems, the Global Fund's board, where the U.S. government holds a seat, agreed at its last meeting in April to seek at least US$ 6 billion a year to fight the three diseases by 2010.
The United States is the largest single donor to the Global Fund, with commitments steadily increasing from US$ 200 million in 2003 to US$ 724 million a year this year, thanks to bipartisan support in Congress. Under the terms of the 2003 Global AIDS Act, every dollar contributed by the U.S. to the Global Fund is matched by $2 from the rest of the world.