29 February 2008
Geneva – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria welcomes the announcement made today by the Government of Japan of a new contribution worth US$ 184 million.
This pushes Japan’s contributions to the Global Fund to more than US$ 846 million since its creation in 2002.
“We are grateful to the Japanese people for their generosity in the fight against infectious diseases,” said Dr Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “The continuous support from the Japanese Government to the Global Fund shows the country’s determination to help stem the spread of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We appreciate Japan’s trust in the Global Fund as an effective vehicle to reach millions of people infected with and affected by these pandemics.”
The creation of the Global Fund was called for by G8 nations at their 2000 summit in Okinawa, Japan. Now, eight years later, the Global Fund has become the dominant financer of programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 10.1 billion for more than 520 programs in 136 countries. So far, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted more than 2 million deaths through providing AIDS treatment for 1.4 million people, TB treatment for 3.3 million people, and through the distribution of 46 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide.
In September 2007, the first donor conference of the 2008–2010 replenishment cycle, held in Berlin, Germany, resulted in pledges and projected contributions for some US$ 9.7 billion.
The Global Fund estimates it needs between US$ 12 billion to US$ 18 billion for the 2008-2010 period. Resource mobilization will continue throughout the coming three years.