November, 06 2009, 12:13pm EDT
Africa Action Applauds US Decision to Lift HIV Travel Ban, Calls for Sustained US leadership on Global Health Ahead of Global Fund Board Meeting
Africa Action
congratulates President Obama and the administration's leadership in
lifting the 22-year-old HIV travel and immigration ban in the U.S.
Reducing stigma and discrimination associated with HIV is an integral
part in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the promotion of human rights
internationally.
Ahead of this weekend's 20th Board Meeting of the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, it is vital that the U.S. fulfill its
commitment to fight HIV/AIDS and fully fund The Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
WASHINGTON
Africa Action
congratulates President Obama and the administration's leadership in
lifting the 22-year-old HIV travel and immigration ban in the U.S.
Reducing stigma and discrimination associated with HIV is an integral
part in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the promotion of human rights
internationally.
Ahead of this weekend's 20th Board Meeting of the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, it is vital that the U.S. fulfill its
commitment to fight HIV/AIDS and fully fund The Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Last year, the Board approved 94 new grants worth $2.75 billion over
two years to support programs fighting the three diseases and it was
the largest round in the history of the organization, well over twice
the size of any previous round. However, this year the Fund is facing a
severe funding gap in the midst of a global financial crisis.
Gerald LeMelle, Executive Director of Africa Action said, "While
lifting the travel ban was a positive step forward, President Obama
must now sustain his commitment to fight HIV/AIDS and fulfill the U.S.
obligation to fully support the Global Fund"
The Global Fund is a public-private partnership; funding grants that
are designed to counter AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. It has become
the main source of finance for global health initiatives. To date, the
Global Fund has committed $15 billion in grants to 140 countries,
saving approximately 2.5 million people from diseases.
Michael Stulman, Associate Director of Policy and Communications said, "The
Global Fund has proved to be a very effective tool in the fight against
AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Unfortunately, the financial crisis
has slowed down donor country's willingness to fill the gap and achieve
the goal of universal access to treatment in 2010."
The Global Fund's budget for the fiscal year 2011 calls for
approximately $5.25 billion to finance ongoing grants and secure the
Round 10 grant cycle. The $5.25 billion request is to satisfy the $2.5
billion needed for grant renewals and the estimated $2.75 billion to
fund new proposals in Round 10. Africa Action's updated talking
points on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
calls for the U.S. to contribute its fair share: a minimum of $1.75
billion.
Africa Action highlights an urgent call from over 50 Francophone
African civil society organizations, demanding that their political
representatives put forward a new resolution to the Board on the
following issues:
* To set up an exceptional procedure which would allow countries
which were refused from round 8 and 9 to present a new proposal within
4 months so that these countries would avoid going from an emergency
health situation to a catastrophe.
* Set up a round 10 in 2010, which would be open to all countries
without restrictions.
Read the civil society letter regarding decisions currently being made
at the Global Fund Board Meeting here.
For French, click here.
For more information and all the latest analysis on global health,
please visit www.africaaction.org/
or read the civil society report, "The Future of Global
Health: Ingredients for A Bold & Effective U.S. Initiative"
Africa Action is a national organization that works for political, economic and social justice in Africa. Through the provision of accessible information and analysis combined with the mobilization of public pressure we work to change the policies and policy-making processes of U.S. and multinational institutions toward Africa. The work of Africa Action is grounded in the history and purpose of its predecessor organizations, the American Committee on Africa (ACOA), The Africa Fund, and the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC), which have fought for freedom and justice in Africa since 1953. Continuing this tradition, Africa Action seeks to re-shape U.S. policy toward African countries.
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