Members of the United Nation’s Global Fund met this month and agreed to a new round of funding for projects to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in 2005.
The Global Fund was started in 2002 by the United Nations, but funding has been a major problem. Kofi Annan originally hoped that developed countries would contribute up to $7 billion annually to help the fund fight the three diseases. So far, though, only $3 billion total has been committed to the Global Fund by donor nations.
This year the United States threatened to withhold approval for projects after other developed nations had failed to give significant money to the fund (the United States is the single largest donor to the fund). The United States also expressed concerns over how grants were disbursed.
In the end, the United States joined the unanimous decision by the Fund’s members to move forward, but scaled back its donations from $546 million in 2004 to just $200 million in 2005.
Source:
Focus on deadly Africa diseases. Will Ross, BBC, November 17, 2004.
Deadly disease fight ‘underfunded’. The BBC, November 17, 2004.
Global fund to fight deadly diseases. Associated Press, November 18, 2004.
US Suggests AIDS Fund Delay Grants. Mark Lacey, The New York Times, November 17, 2004.