Islamic Development Bank Group and the Global Fund join hands in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
06 March 2009
Tehran - The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly support activities of IDB member countries aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and especially MDG 6 to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
The IDB will make financing and technical assistance available to member countries and the Global Fund will facilitate support by helping identify Global Fund grant recipients interested in the assistance provided by the IDB.
The MOU was signed by IDB Vice President, Operations, Mr. Birama Boubacar Sidibe and Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund, who were attending the Second Health Ministers' Conference of the Organization of the Islamic Conference held in Teheran, Iran. Dr. Kamran B. Lankarani, Minister of Health and Medical Education of Iran presided over and graced the signing ceremony which was attended by the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
The IDB and the Global Fund will initially focus on malaria control programs. Subject to progress in this initial stage, subsequent efforts will be directed towards fighting tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The two institutions will maximize the use of resources available to them to enhance the national response to the diseases in their beneficiary countries in Africa, the East Mediterranean and South East Asia regions.
The IDB is a development institution based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Since its establishment, more than three decades ago, it has extended development aid in excess of US$ 2 billion to its 56 member countries in the Muslim world and Muslim communities in non-member countries.
The IDB already works together with partners active in the health area, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), the UNITAID Drug Purchase Facility, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and the World Bank. IDB represents the Global Fund’s first main development partner in the Islamic world.
IDB has been active in supporting the health sector in its member countries since 1975. A total of 210 health projects at a cost of US$ 1.2 billion have been carried out so far.
To date, the Global Fund has approved funding to fight the three diseases in 46 countries of the 57 Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Of these beneficiary countries, 16 are in the Middle East/North Africa region, 16 in Africa, 7 in Asia, five in Central Asia and Central Europe and two in the Caribbean region. There has been a steady and significant increase in approved Global Fund grants to OIC member states from Round 1 to Round 8 amounting to over US$ 5 billion; 60 percent of which goes to the fight against malaria.