THE UNITED STATES COMMITS US$4 BILLION TO THE GLOBAL FUND
United States makes largest contribution ever in the history of the Global Fund
New York, 5 October 2010 - U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby today announced that the United States, under the leadership of President Obama and Secretary Clinton, pledges US$4 Billion to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for the period 2011-2013. The pledge is the largest ever by a donor to The Global Fund and represents one of the largest increases by an individual donor country to the Global Fund for this replenishment period.
The United States was the first and remains the largest donor to the Global Fund with an accumulated amount pledged of US$10.5 billion since the organization's creation in 2002. This first multiyear pledge of the United States to the Global Fund will provide predictable funding for millions of people in urgent need of lifesaving treatment and prevention programs.
The United States contribution to The Global Fund complements the significant bilateral efforts the country provides towards fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President's Malaria Initiative, and the Global Health Initiative.
"Through this three-year pledge, the United States has shown its strong commitment towards the international efforts to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria," says Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of The Global Fund. "This is very welcome and sends a strong signal to other donors that the United States is committed to leading a global struggle against infectious diseases. The work of the Global Fund complements the United States' own bilateral efforts. Together, we have begun to drive back AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in many countries, and provided access to AIDS treatment to well over 4 million people. The new pledge will strengthen this joint endeavor over the coming years."
The Global Fund - which finances programs based on proposals submitted from 144 eligible applicant countries - has outlined funding scenarios of between US$13 billion and US$20 billion needed for the coming three years. Given The Global Fund's large share of global financing for health the success or failure to secure new funding for the coming three years will have a significant impact on the world's ability to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
More than 40 donor countries, private foundations, and corporations are meeting in New York today to replenish The Global Fund's resources for the 2011-2013 period.
###
The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.
Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 19.4 billion for more than 600 programs in 145 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have saved 5.7 million lives through providing AIDS treatment for 2.8 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 7 million people and the distribution of 122 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria.
For more information, please contact:
Andrew Hurst - Communications
Office: + 41 58 791 16 72
Mobile: + 41 79 561 68 07
E-mail: andrew.hurst @theglobalfund.com
Veronique Taveau - Communications
Office: + 41 58 791 11 28
Mobile: + 41 79 362 97 04
E-mail: [email protected]
Information on the work of the Global Fund is available at www.theglobalfund.org