Global Fund to Launch Next Round of Proposals

[Guest guest]

Global Fund to Launch Next Round of Proposals

8 November 2004

Global Fund Board Agrees to Launch New Round of Proposals

Round 5 to be approved in September 2005 following high-level sessions

to pledge multiyear resources to the Global Fund

Arusha, Tanzania – Following a high-level session with the Presidents

of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and the United Kingdom Secretary of

State for Development, the Board of the Global Fund decided today to

call for a fifth round of proposals in March, to be considered for

approval by the Board in September.

The Chair of the Board, United States Secretary of Health and Human

Services Tommy G. said of the decision, " The Board is proud

to announce a 5th round of funding that will deliver critical aid in

our fight against AIDS, TB and malaria. Today's unanimous decision

reflects the Board's unwavering commitment to turning the tide against

these diseases and ensuring the long-term viability and accountability

of the Global Fund. I applaud all Board members for reaching a

consensus that provides hope for the suffering while affirming the

Fund's need to proceed with responsibility and fiscal prudence. "

The Global Fund calls for grant proposals, which are evaluated by an

independent Te

chnical Review Panel. Proposals of high quality are recommended to the

Board for funding. The Global Fund Board approves programs for two

years with an option to renew funding for another three years if the

programs achieve targeted results. Since it was created in January

2002, the Global Fund has committed $3 billion in two-year grants to

128 countries.

The Vice-Chair of the Board, Executive Director of the French

non-governmental organization AIDES, Helene Rossert-Blavier, added, " A

new round of proposals will ensure that the Global Fund continues to

expand its funding. This will enable us to fulfill the hopes of

millions of people around the world by providing more people with

AIDS, TB and malaria treatment and increase prevention efforts. "

The approval of Round 5 in 2005 will raise funding requirements in

that year to $2.4 billion, with $1.4 billion needed for the renewals

of existing grants. Regardless of the timing of new grants, roughly

$2.7 billion will be additionally required for renewals after 2005.

The Global Fund's Executive Director, Feachem, added, " The

Global Fund is three years old, and as it moves forward we face the

dual challenge of making current grants work as quickly and

effectively as possible and raising more money to meet the urgent need

to scale up prevention and treatment in countries with acute needs.

Today's decision by the Board shows its commitment to meet these

challenges. "

The decision by the Board follows a meeting in Arusha of African Heads

of State, where a statement by the United Nations Secretary-General

applauded the Global Fund for " firmly establish[ing] yourselves as one

of the leading financial mechanisms in the global fight against the

three diseases. "

At this meeting the British Secretary of State Benn joined the

Heads of State in calling for an urgent launch to Round 5 and affirmed

the intention of the United Kingdom to focus its 2005 Presidencies of

the Group of Eight (G8) and the European Union (EU) on development and

on Africa. As part of that commitment, Benn offered that the UK will

host a replenishment conference for the Global Fund in September 2005.

The Global Fund uses a voluntary replenishment mechanism, whereby

donors can make multiyear pledges to the Global Fund at replenishment

conferences. The Board nominated UN Secretary General Kofi n as

the Chair of the Replenishment Mechanism and the Director of the

International Task Force on Global Public Goods, Sven Sandström, as

Vice-Chair. The first replenishment mechanism will take place in 2005.

An initial meeting will be held in Stockholm in March, with a final

meeting in the UK in September, at which time donors will make new

pledges to the Global Fund. Most, but not all, of the Global Fund's

major donors will participate in this process.

The Global Fund is holding its first Board Meeting in Africa this

week. Board members and partners also visited Global Fund projects in

Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania to see the progress of Global Fund

grantees. Rwanda, for example, has used Global Fund monies to

establish 66 HIV counseling and testing centers and to place more than

5,000 people on AIDS treatment. The Board is also holding a retreat on

Saturday to consider operational challenges facing the future of the

Global Fund.

Roughly 60 percent of the Glob al Fund's committed funding is for

HIV/AIDS, 30 percent for malaria, and the rest for TB. Also, roughly

two-thirds of the allocated funds goes to countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Note: Final decisions by the Ninth Board Meeting are pending the

conclusion of the meeting on Friday, November 19, 2004.

Further information can be obtained from Bertrand, available

in Arusha at +255 (0)745 317 702.

http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/media_center/press/pr_041118.asp