Meeting at the Global Health Council
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ONE rubbed elbows with some of its many partners Friday at the Global Health Council’s community meeting with Dr. Christoph Benn, the Director of Partnerships, Communication and Resource Mobilization at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (a very lengthy title with an even longer list of responsibilities). The Global Fund is a partnership of many organizations created to increase and disburse performance-based grants to fight HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria, and it has helped drastically improve global health since its inception seven years ago. Nevertheless, many challenges remain. I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Benn after the presentation, and he gladly accepted a ONE band to show his support.
Dr. Benn was proud to announce that HIV/AIDS treatment has expanded; however, prevention remains the dominant challenge. TB poses its own obstacles due to its extreme drug resistance and its complex/ expensive treatment. However, the Global Fund is beginning to see a decline in infection in Asia, though progress in Africa is slower. This may be in relation to the high prevalence of HIV in Africa; in effect weakening people’s immune systems and making them more susceptible to TB. Child mortality due to Malaria decreased 50- 70% in some countries thanks to mosquito net disbursement and increased access to affordable treatment and disease control mechanisms. We are making progress, and looking to the future, it is no secret that we are accelerating.
The demand for Global Fund grants is increasing at unprecedented levels, but with the global economic downturn tightening public budgets, the Fund is now facing critical funding gaps. As ONE members, will need to get out and make their voices heard!
-Ian McGroarty
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The ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with frequent contributions from volunteers, members and partner organizations.
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February 23, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Hey Ian, thanks for your report back on your meeting with Dr. Benn at the Global Health Council event. The Global Health Council is a stellar partner organization of ONE and I know that we all appreciate their many years of excellent advocacy in the area of Global Health.
As for Dr. Benn & The Global Fund, there is simply no more effective organization in the world in the world today actively fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria than the Global Fund – and that organization deserves the support of every ONE member.
As I mentioned last week in another post here in the ONE Blog, the world economic crisis is so far leaving the Global Fund with a projected $5 BILLION deficit for their next yearly budget as world governments (INCLUDING THE USA) are reneging on their financial commitmments to the Global Fund.
If this money is not resto(red) to the Global Fund, the consequences for tens of thousands of those who have benefitted from Global Fund programs is quite dire – they stand the chance of losing their lives!
I know that ONE partner organizations, RESULTS and the Global AIDS Alliance, amongst others, have action campaigns geared to restoring the Global Fund money to the next U.S. federal budget so I hope that we, as ONE members, will support their efforts.
It’s a matter of life or death to many of the world’s poorest people.
ALWAYS FOREVER, ONE – debbie
http://www.theglobalfund.org