Thailand pledges US$ 5 million to The Global Fund
27 June 2007
Geneva - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria welcomes Thailand's new pledge of US$ 5 million in support of the Global Fund for 2008-2012. The new pledge will bring Thailand's total contribution to US$ 10 million for the period 2003 to 2012.
Thailand is also a recipient of Global Fund financing. The country currently has five ongoing Global Fund grants worth more than US$ 155 million over five years. Three grants are supporting Thailand's fight against HIV/AIDS. Two other grants are used to make inroads against tuberculosis and malaria. A sixth grant, worth close to US$ 20 million to further strengthen the fight against tuberculosis, is expected to be signed in the coming months.
"Since 2003, the Global Fund has been a strong partner in Thailand's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. However, as a lower-middle income country, we feel strongly that we must contribute to the global effort in two ways. One, we must contribute our own resources in cash and in kind to this global effort. Second, we must gradually be totally dependent on our own resources to fight the three diseases. This will reduce our burden on the budget of the Global Fund and channel the money to other less developed countries. We mobilize more than US$ 120 million from our own budget now for access to ARVs," said Dr Mongkol Na Songkhla, Minister of Public Health of Thailand. "With this pledge, we want to make it possible for other countries battling the three diseases to benefit, just like Thailand. We also hope that other middle-income countries will be able to contribute more to the global effort. "
"Thailand is an excellent example of what can be achieved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria when given the necessary support," said Dr Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund. "This new pledge by the Government of Thailand is an act of global solidarity and I hope it will inspire other much wealthier donors to provide the necessary resources to drive back these three pandemics."
Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financer of programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, with US$ 10.4 billion in firm pledges and approved funding of US$ 7.6 billion for 450 programs in 136 countries. So far, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted 1.8 million deaths through providing AIDS and TB treatment to 1.1 million people and 2.8 million people, respectively; and through the distribution of 30 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide.