PartnersGF - 2005-03-18 

THE GLOBAL FUND WELCOMES NEW
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION FROM NIGERIA
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Global Fund Press Release

Stockholm - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria warmly welcomes the announcement today that Nigeria will contribute US$10 million to the Global Fund.

Nigeria made an earlier contribution of US$10 million in 2002 and is now the largest financial contributor to the Global Fund among countries eligible for Global Fund grants. President Obasanjo hosted the African HIV/AIDS Summit in 2001 where the idea of the Global Fund was born, and President Obasanjo also stood by U.S. President Bush in the Rose Garden of the White House when the first pledges to the Global Fund were made. Nigeria has received US$201 million so far in grants from the Global Fund to finance the country's fight against AIDS, TB and malaria.

"President Obasanjo and Nigeria are among the supporting pillars of the Global Fund," says Richard Feachem, the Executive Director of the Global Fund. "Nigeria is facing a potentially catastrophic HIV/AIDS epidemic and suffers from serious malaria and TB epidemics. In light of its problems at home, the Nigerian contribution is a great act of global solidarity. It should inspire other much wealthier donors to do their part to provide the resources necessary to drive back these three pandemics."

Nigeria's announcement was made during the Global Fund's first replenishment conference in Stockholm, where representatives from more than 40 donor countries gathered to consider the Global Fund's financial needs for the coming three years.

The Global Fund has so far committed $3.2 billion to over 300 programs in 127 countries. Around 60 percent of this funding has gone to Africa, and 55 percent is for fighting HIV/AIDS. Around half of the funding is being spent on medicines, malaria mosquito nets and other products, while the other half is for strengthening health services. While the average age of Global Fund grants is just under a year, already substantial results have been achieved, with 130,000 people having been supported with AIDS treatment, 385,000 people having received TB treatment and more than a million families having received bed nets to protect against malaria.

The Global Fund needs $2.3 billion in 2005 to honor current commitments. For 2006 and 2007 the needs are $3.5 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively. Donors will meet at a second replenishment conference in London in September, hosted by the British government and chaired by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, to announce their pledges.


The Global Fund is a unique global public-private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.


Apart from a high standard of technical quality, the Global Fund attaches no conditions to any of its grants. It is not an implementing agency, instead relying on local ownership and planning to ensure that new resources are directed to programs on the frontline of this global effort to reach those most in need. Its performance-based approach to grant-making is designed to ensure that funds are used efficiently and create real change for people and communities. All programs are monitored by independent organizations contracted by the Global Fund to ensure that its funding has an impact in the fight against these three pandemics.


Information on the work of the Global Fund is available on our website: http://www.theglobalfund.org <">http://www.theglobalfund.org/>


For further information, please contact:

Rosie Vanek, The Global Fund, Phone: + 41 22 791 5951 Mobile: + 41 79 445 14 85 rosie.vanek@theglobalfund.org or

Jon Liden, The Global Fund (Geneva), (+41 22) 791 1723, (+41 79) 244 6006,jon.liden@theglobalfund.org

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
53 Avenue Louis-Casai CH-1216 Cointrin, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 1700 Fax: +41 22 791 17 01



From: Beatrice Bernescut: Beatrice.Bernescut@TheGlobalFund.org