For Immediate Release: 31 MARCH 2003
Contact: Hélène Rossert, AIDES: + 33 686 71 79 24
Sharonann Lynch, Health GAP: +1 646 645-5225

New Advocacy Coalition Demands Emergency Funding from Rich Governments for Global AIDS Fund

(31 March 2003 Paris, France) A coalition of public health advocacy organisations today announced the launch of "Fund the Fund," a campaign to pressure governments of wealthy countries to contribute urgently needed resources to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (GFATM).

The advocates point out that none of the world's wealthiest governments has contributed an amount on par with the size of their economies. Instead, the U.S., Japan, France, Germany, Britain, Canada, Italy, and other countries have all given far less than their fair share.

Forty representatives from non-governmental organisations and activist groups from Europe, U.S., Japan and Canada held a two-day summit in Paris to discuss the emergency need for massive scale-up of funding for the GFATM.

"We recognize that the Global Fund is the best chance for fighting the global AIDS crisis," said Hélène Rossert, Executive Director AIDES and a Board member of the GFATM representing northern NGOs. "We call upon wealthy governments to contribute the resources necessary to combat the three killers--AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria---that threaten to decimate whole societies."

The Global Fund is facing a budget shortfall of USD 1.6 billion to meet the anticipated need in the third round of grants in October. Launched in January 2002, the Global Fund has disbursed USD 1.5 billion in grants to 160 programs in 85 countries in its first and second Round of grants. The Global Fund was originally called for by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and authorized at the G8 summit in Genoa in July 2001.

The advocates with 'Fund the Fund' contend that wealthy countries have given too little money to the Global Fund and ignored the immediate, overwhelming need in the developing world for medicines and HIV treatment. They demand Heads of State commit at least the amount necessary to meet the need estimated in the third round of proposals--USD 1.6 billion according to the GFATM officials--by the time of the G8 summit in Evian, France in June 2003.

"People with AIDS and their advocates--at the frontline of the AIDS crisis--and 'Fund the Fund', will not allow the rich governments of the world to walk away from the Global Fund and betray the hopes of the 42 million people now living with HIV/AIDS," said Khalil Elouardighi of ACT UP-Paris. "Heads of state must not turn their backs on millions of people in need only two years after authorizing the Fund's creation at the G8 summit in Genoa in July 2001."

"Thousands of lives can be saved if the Global Fund's finances efforts to scale up prevention measures, extend vital access to treatment including antiretroviral therapy, and provide life-sustaining care to people living with HIV/AIDS. Millions more can be saved if donor countries keep their promise to fully Fund the Fund, and it starts with 1.6 billion dollars," said Sharonann Lynch with U.S. based Health GAP.

The meeting in Paris was organized by AIDES, France's largest AIDS service organization; Health GAP (Global Access Project) a U.S. based activist group focusing on access to HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries; and ACT UP Paris, a PWA AIDS activist group.

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