From BMJ: Bush criticised for not giving AIDS money to Global Fund

[Guest guest]

http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7384/299?etoc

BMJ 2003;326:299 ( 8 February )

News

Bush criticised for not giving AIDS money to Global Fund

Macdonald, London

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria needs an extra $6.3bn

(£3.8bn; 5.8bn) in contributions over the next two years if it is to approve a

third round of grants in October.

The fund made the announcement only days after President Bush said in his

state of the union address that he would pledge $15bn to combat AIDS. Only $1bn

of this will be given to the Global Fund.

Welcoming President Bush's pledge, director general of the World Health

Organization, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, emphasised the need for an annual $10bn

to stem the AIDS epidemic. Much of this money, she said, " should be channelled

through the Global Fund. "

Dr Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance, said he was

concerned about President Bush's plan: " The Global Fund is the best hope yet for

the fight against AIDS, and other killer diseases, yet the president seems ready

to let the fund down. A large US government investment should be appropriately

balanced between multilateral and bilateral programmes, based on their

respective comparative advantages. "

He added: " The plan [of President Bush] targets too few heavily affected

countries . . . [and] ignores the vital need for debt cancellation for priority

countries. "

The fund, set up in June 2001 by Kofi n and national leaders, has just

awarded $866m to help 60 countries. But increased awareness of the organisation

has meant that it expects a rise in the number of funding proposals it receives.

The demand for grants will far outstrip the amount of money currently pledged to

the fund.

A spokesman for the fund, Tim , said it had not run out of money. " We have

everything covered that has been approved for funding. But we lack the resources

to approve a third round of grants. "

Up to December 2002, $2.15bn had been committed to the fund from governments,

individuals, and organisations. Mr said the board was currently

considering a strategy to raise additional funds.

Of the $866m awarded by the Global Fund last week, 60% will go to combat HIV and

AIDS, and most will go to African countries, with Ethiopia receiving the largest

sum. The new funds will be used to provide 30 million African families with

treated mosquito nets and to offer four million courses of malaria treatment to

those with resistant strains.

Up to $38.8m will be awarded to three states in India to combat tuberculosis and

HIV and AIDS. About 55-60% of people living with AIDS in India also have

tuberculosis.

Mr said the Global Fund was grateful for the money from the United States

but it would always want more. He said the fund had not yet received official

notification of the award.

The other $14bn will go into bilateral progammes in 14 countries: Botswana, Cîte

d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda,

South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.