Luxembourg’s Commitment is Very Generous, Per Capita
02 October 2013
GENEVA - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today congratulated Luxembourg for its decision to commit EUR 7.5 million (US$10.1 million) for 2014-2016, making it one of the most generous donors on a per capita basis.
The commitment, subject to parliamentary approval, will effectively unlock an additional US$4 million in contributions from the United States and the United Kingdom, which have geared their own contributions to maximize what is donated by other countries.
"The exceptional generosity of the Luxembourg people will allow us and our partners to play a role in saving and dramatically improving the lives of millions of people across the world," said Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund. "Because of our collective effort, more people today have access to treatment for HIV and TB and more families sleep under mosquito nets. We are at a tipping point with these deadly diseases, and to really defeat them we need to invest strongly."
Dr. Dybul met in Luxembourg on 1 October with Marc Spautz, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, and Mars Di Bartolomeo, Minister of Health, and other officials as well as members of Parliament and non-governmental organizations. The first Executive Director of the Global Fund to visit Luxembourg, Dr. Dybul praised its pioneering role in financing and distributing antiretrovirals in Rwanda.
Dr. Dybul also praised Luxembourg's example in leading a group of four other countries into signing in the past a Multi-year contribution agreement, which allows assurance and predictability of funding with a clear payment schedule.
With a population of 500,000, Luxembourg allocated in 2012 more than 1 percent of its Gross National Income to Official Development Assistance, which made it the most generous donor of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. In 2012, each Luxembourg national contributed about EUR 5 to the Global Fund. On a per capita basis, Luxembourg is the fourth most generous donor after Norway, Sweden and France.
The U.S. Government will host the Global Fund's Fourth Replenishment Conference in Washington D.C. in early December 2013. Convened once every three years, the conference will secure funding for 2014-2016, enabling the Global Fund to effectively support programs in countries that fight AIDS, TB and malaria effectively, and to save the lives of millions of people.