GLOBAL FUND: Japan increases contribution

Geneva – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria warmly welcomes Japan’s decision to significantly increase its 2010 contribution to US$ 246.8 million.
This is a 27% increase over Japan’s contribution to the Global Fund last year of US$ 194.4 million. It pushes Japan’s overall contribution to the Global Fund to more than US$1.2 billion since its creation in 2002 and reconfirms Japan’s commitment to the work of the Global Fund despite a challenging international economic environment.
The Japanese contribution comes as the Global Fund prepares for its third replenishment and pledging conference, to be chaired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York on October 5, where donors will pledge resources for the next three years.
“Japan has been a major supporter of the Global Fund since its inception and this new contribution sets an example for other countries at a critical moment for global public health,” says Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “By increasing its contributions in a tough economic climate, Japan has reinforced its commitment to removing disparities in global health and renewed hope for millions. We hope other donor countries will follow Japan’s lead.”
Japan played a key role in the creation of the Global Fund by focusing international attention on the burden of infectious disease as a major impediment to economic and social development during the 2000 G8 summit in Okinawa. The Global Fund was subsequently created in 2002.
To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have saved 4.9 million lives through providing AIDS treatment for 2.5 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 6 million people and the distribution of 104 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria.
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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 Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.
Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 19.2 billion for more than 600 programs in 144 countries.