The Global Fund : A Means To Control Developing Countries

[Guest guest]

Act Up-Paris Press Statement ­ october, 9, 2002

The Global Fund :

In June 2001 the UN General Assembly Special Session launched the Global

Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which developed countries

committed themselves to funding.

To reach the required $10 billion a year, each country had to contribute

only 0.05% of its GNP. Yet, at present, there is only $500 million in the

Global Fund's account, that is less than 5% of what the Fund had planned to

raise. France, for example, the 5th economic power in the world, has only

pledged a paltry contribution of $ 50 million a year and the first

installment has only now been sent to the Global Fund.

The first round of fund applications was assessed in April 2002. However, to

date, despite urgent needs, no money has yet been distributed. Thus, in

Morocco, for example, general access to antiretrovirals which the government

had planned to start in September, is at a standstill for lack of money

promised by the Global Fund.

Not only are the Member States on the Fund Board of Directors unable to give

out the money, but they are presently busy setting up operations to control

drug procurement and intellectual property regulations in the countries that

might benefit from the Fund. Such issues will be tackled at a meeting of the

Board in Geneva on October 10 and 11.

The sole aim of some developed countries, first and foremost, of the United

states, is to make sure there is no access to generics, but only to

brand-name medicines sold by multinational pharmaceutical companies. Thus

the Global Fund totally exceeds its authority, both its mandate and its

duties.

The WHO and the WTO are the international regulatory and advisory

institutions in charge of health and intellectual property. The Global Fund

is only supposed to collect and distribute funding. In no way can it manage

drug procurement policies in developing countries or become the means for

multinational corporations to fight access to generics.

Act Up-Paris denounces the policy of developed countries which, regardless

of the repercussions on infected people and on the spreading of the

epidemic, divert the Fund from its professed objectives.

By refusing to allocate the necessary funds, by misusing the Fund authority

to control poor countries, developed countries bring discredit on themselves

and doom this initiative to failure.

Press Person: Gaëlle Krikorian

Tel : + 33 6 09 17 70 55 ­ + 33 1 49 29 44 75

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Olivier Jablonski

E-mail: <ojablonski@...>

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