The Global Fund welcomes 2009 contribution from Japan
23 March 2009
Geneva - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria welcomes the announcement made on Saturday by the Government of Japan of a new contribution worth US$ 194.4 million. The announcement was made by Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development Ministerial Follow-up Meeting, held in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.
This pushes Japan’s contributions to the Global Fund to more than US$ 1 billion since its creation in 2002.
"Japan is a leader in the fight against infectious diseases and a leading supporter and partner of the Global Fund,” said Dr Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “The country’s new contribution to the Global Fund is setting an example for other countries. We are grateful to the Japanese people for their continued generosity in the fight against poverty and infectious diseases.”
The creation of the Global Fund was called for by G8 nations at their 2000 summit in Okinawa, Japan. Now, nine years later, the Global Fund has become one of the dominant financers of programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 15 billion.
The Japanese contribution comes as the Global Fund prepares for its Mid-Term Review Meeting of the Second Global Fund Replenishment process, to be held on 31 March and 1 April in Cáceres, hosted by the Spanish Government. This meeting serves to review the performance of the Global Fund and to consider additional funding for the organization.