Annan To Make First Contribution to Global AIDS Fund With Award Prize
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will be the first to contribute to his proposed global fund to fight AIDS by donating the $100,000 awarded with the Philadelphia Liberty Medal he is set to receive July 4, the Reuters/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. U.N. spokesperson Fred Eckhard said, "The secretary-general's donation would be the first to the global fund, which is expected to cover a good portion of the $7 billion to $10 billion required annually to deal with AIDS worldwide." Annan proposed the fund, which would also be used to battle malaria and tuberculosis, last week during a conference in Abuja, Nigeria. The Liberty Medal was created in 1988 to honor individuals and organizations demonstrating "leadership in the pursuit of liberty"; the cash prize is raised privately. Annan was "singled out for his role in promoting peace, social justice and economic development," the Inquirer reports (Arieff, Reuters/Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/4).
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