The Global Fund calls for new proposals to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria

By Jackie Jacobsen

MEDIAGLOBAL NEWSWIRE SERVICE
NEW YORK: May 5, 2006 (MEDIAGLOBAL): The Global Fund that finances programmes which aim to prevent and treat global health threats, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, has launched a plea for new proposals to be submitted for a sixth round of funding.
“The launch of Round Six today allows us to maintain this vital momentum to win the battle against these three pandemics,” said Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund.
The Fund has already provided nearly $2.1 billion dollars to finance 350 programmes in 131 countries throughout the world. The Fund projects that, with the completion of all financed programmes, 1.8 million people will be on anti-retroviral drugs and 109 million bed nets will be donated, significantly decreasing rates of malaria.
New funding for programmes in this latest round will be finalized by November 2006, after the Board of the Global Fund has reviewed all applications and made its final decision. Board Members consist of donor and recipient nations, with developing nations reserving seven seats to represent a variety of regions. NGOs and private sector organizations, such as corporations, are also included on the Board, as the Fund aims to be a fully representative body that can assist vulnerable countries in combating disease.
The international community welcomed the Fund’s announcement that it is seeking new applications for grants, as the original grants issued by the organization in 2000 will soon expire and need to be renewed. This announcement has assured activists and programme managers that the funding will continue, and the fight against tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS will continue to draw the attention, and funding, of the international community.
“We know that countries and vulnerable populations are depending on [long-term funding] and we must not fail them,” said Carol Jacobs, chairwoman of Global Fund’s board. “There was a strong agreement that given the commitments made to reach global health targets, and given the urgent needs out there, it would be ethically impossible to not launch round six,” spokesman Jon Liden told Reuters.
The Global Fund was founded in 2000, at the G-8 meeting in Okinawa, Japan. There, leaders conceived the Fund as a body that would attract and direct funding for global health programmes, and would have no role in the actual implementation of services. Policy makers believed the organization would be more effective if it focused solely on providing the finances for global health projects. To date, the Fund has distributed 57% of its money to HIV/AIDS organizations, while 27% goes to anti-malarial programmes.
Peter Piot, the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is encouraged by the progress he sees in sub-Saharan Africa . “Young people start later with their first sexual intercourse. Also there’s a reduction in number of partners and condom use has gone up.”
Piot attributes these positive developments to the Global Fund, which has invested heavily in HIV/AIDS programmes. “Billions of dollars have been invested, some say poured, into AIDS programmes in Africa and until now, there were not that many results. Now these results are coming in.”
The Global Fund has struggled lately to find donors to finance these programmes. However, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged its support of the organization, promising $150 million. Bono has recently launched Product Red with activist and politician Bobby Shriver. Product Red has joined with several prominent companies, which include American Express and Gap, which will market their products while donating 100% of its profits to Global Fund programmes focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
At the moment, only 1% of funding for the Global Fund is provided by the private sector. The United States is the largest single donor to the Fund, providing $1.5 billion and promising another $1 billion in assistance.