European Commission Agrees To Donate Additional $195M to Global Fund
The European Commission has agreed to donate an additional $195 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Xinhua News Agency reports. The grant, agreed upon by the 15 member nations of the European Union, will come out of the European Development Fund. Together, the European Union and the European Commission are the biggest donor to the Global Fund, having contributed 55% of the total $4.7 billion in pledges to the fund, according to Xinhua News Agency. The commission alone has pledged $530 million through 2006 from its general budget and the EDF, making it the second-largest single donor worldwide (Xinhua News Agency, 10/30). The United States, which has donated about $622 million to the fund, is the largest single donor (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/17). "These killer diseases deserve our full attention. Far too many lives are lost to AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The personal suffering and the threat to development caused by these epidemics demand that we act on a global scale," European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul Nielson said. The money was originally to be disbursed over a four-year period; however, the announcement will allow the money to be disbursed more quickly. The Global Fund has committed to grants totaling approximately $2.1 billion to fund programs in 125 countries, Xinhua News Agency reports (Xinhua News Agency, 10/30).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.