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Some Countries Stepping Up to the Table But G8 Contribution Still Falls Short

This press release was issued jointly by ActionAid International, Global AIDS Alliance, Health GAP, Norwegian Church Aid, Project Ring, Japan AIDS and Society Association, and the Stop AIDS Campaign.

September 27, 2007, Berlin, Germany—Campaigners in Berlin urged donors to come up with the $8 billion needed to ensure the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria meets its targets over the next three years.

This three-year replenishment meeting resulted in actual and projected pledges of $9.7 billion for the period 2008-2010. This leaves a gap of about $8 billion to meet the target of $18 billion that the Global Fund needs. This figure needs to be put into perspective, as $6.5 billion is needed simply in order to keep current Global Fund programs going. Today's pledges are welcome, but more needs to be mobilized if the world is to meet its commitments to ensuring universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

GAA Executive Director Paul Zeitz at a protest during the Berlin meeting. © David Bryden

"As someone representing the communities affected by the diseases, I welcome that some countries have stepped up to the realities of the impact of these three killer diseases. We urge other donors to do more to close the gap of over $8 billion that still remains. Civil society hence calls for another replenishment meeting within the next 18 months in order to meet the Global Fund resource needs," said Francoise Ndayishimiye, Board member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

The Berlin replenishment meeting did deliver several glimmers of hope. Certain countries, including Spain, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, demonstrated leadership in terms of the amounts pledged, as well as calling for more burden-sharing by the larger economies.

Germany played a strong role in the lead up to the replenishment meeting both in mobilizing donors and delivering concrete recommendations to improve the gender focus of the Global Fund's work. Germany also doubled its contribution to the Fund. The UK announced an 8-year pledge, providing greater predictability. However, the UK, Germany, and France are all providing half of what they should have given the size of their economies. The projected US contribution, while larger than promised, is still only one-third of what it should provide.

Meeting the $18 billion target required top donors, particularly the G8, to triple or quadruple their contributions to the Global Fund. So there remains an urgent need for the G8 nations to abide by their promises to ensure universal access and meet the Millennium Development Goals. As the next chair of the G8, Japan will need to pick up the baton.