Health GAP • Global AIDS Alliance • RESULTS Educational Fund (US) •
Global Health Advocates • African Council of AIDS Service
Organisations (AfriCASO) • International HIV/AIDS Alliance • Malaria
Consortium
Press Statement
For immediate release: 23 May 2008
Global Civil Society Reaction to Japanese Announcement of Global Fund
Pledge
(Tokyo) Global civil society organizations reacted with strong
disappointment to the announcement today by Japanese Prime Minister
Fukuda of a contribution from Japan to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria of “$560 million for the coming few years.”
Civil society called on Japan to immediately commit to paying its
contribution over two years and to commit to re-evaluate their
contribution at the upcoming Global Fund Replenishment Meeting and
Review in March 2009.
Today’s announcement, which comes 6 weeks before the G8 Summit in
Toyako, could mean the Japanese contribution will not increase,
despite an increasing gap between the needs of developing countries,
and available resources from donor governments.
Today’s announcement falls far short of what Japan should be
committing as the world’s second largest economy, and based on
increasing requests from countries for Global Fund funding.
“As the 2008 G8 President, Japan has the opportunity to show strong
global leadership on health this year, but unfortunately they have not
shown leadership today,” said Dr. Françoise Ndayishimiye of the
Burundian Network of HIV positive people. “Instead they are
undermining their promise to support the goal of universal access to
AIDS treatment, care and prevention by 2010, and to reach the
Millennium Development Goals by 2015.”
This announcement comes four days before the arrival 45 African heads
of state in Yokohama for the Fourth Tokyo Conference on African
Development (TICAD), hosted by the Japanese government. “With 80% of
global AIDS burden concentrated in Africa, how will successful
development in Africa be possible when major donors such as Japan do
not scale up their commitments to fighting the three diseases?” asked
Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Tall of the African Council of AIDS Service
Organizations (AfriCASO).
For more information, contact: Asia Russell (Health GAP) and Bobby
John (Global Health Advocates): +81 (0) 80 2109 6382 or asia@healthgap.org
• bj@bjohn.org
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