nora proops, the AIDS beacon: global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB & malaria approves $2.4 billion in grants worldwide (2070)
Global Fund Approves $2.4 Billion For Global HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Programs
By Nora Proops
Nov 21, 2009
On November 12, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria approved grants worth $2.4 billion to support treatment of these diseases worldwide.
Although it is the second largest amount ever approved by the Global Fund, the number of accepted grants fell by 35 percent from the year before.
The Global Fund is an organization that attracts aid from wealthy governments and the private sector for distribution among poor countries to prevent and treat people with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
These diseases account for 12.5 percent of deaths in low-income nations, according to 2004 World Health Organization estimates.
Since its inception in 2002, the Global Fund has provided $18.4 billion in aid to 144 countries. It is responsible for disbursing almost a quarter (23 percent) of HIV/AIDS international donor aid.
Earlier this year, there were fears the Global Fund could halt the 2010 funding round altogether, due to the economic crisis. Instead, the Global Fund rearranged its plans for this year by cutting funding by 10 percent and delaying the grant review by six months.
In the end, the current figure of $2.4 billion was decided upon. The amount is smaller than last year’s disbursement, and leaders of the Global Fund expressed concern over its future funding abilities.
“We are seeing a tremendous demand for funding,” said Michel Kazatchkine, the Executive Director of the Global Fund. “We may not be able to continue approving such amounts of financing and see continued progress in health in the coming years unless donor countries scale up their funding even further than what they have done so far.”
If the United States follows its contribution trend, it will donate between $840 and $900 million for 2009. Critics such as theHealth Global Access Project, an AIDS advocacy group, argue that this is about $1 billion less than necessary.
The next round of grant funding will be in May 2010.
For more information, please see the press release on the Global Fund Web site, the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines booklet (pdf), and related Beacon news.