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Letter to the Editor: Keeping our promise to the Global Fund
ONE Member Michael Castaldo of Dover, New Hampshire recently wrote in this excellent letter to the editor of the Foster’s Daily Democrat. It was so well done and well deserved, I hope Michael doesn’t mind if I re-post it here in full:
Don’t trim fat on the backs of the poor
To the editor: Right now, the world faces historic challenges. The economic downturn in our country has affected my own family with furloughs and fewer work hours, resulting in smaller wages. But I know that I am not the only Granite Stater, or American that is feeling the tough times. Sadly, so too, does much of the world feel the economic squeeze. But for the world’s poorest people who live in extreme poverty the margins are somewhat finer, and sometimes a matter of life and death.
I am proud to say that under the leadership of President Bush, a small portion of our meager International Assistance budget has been supporting The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria, and TB. This fund provides lifesaving medicines to people around the world and it is both accountable and transparent. It is a tremendously effective program and has won high praise for its nonpartisan, fair and compassionate approach — not divvying aid based on our personal interests, but instead valuing every life as important as the next. All the time, the program demands good governance and implements sustainable and empowering long-term solutions.
If I break a promise I made, I lose something intangible. But if our nation breaks our promise to the Global Fund, lives will be lost. It is impossible to calculate how many, but what is certain is that over two million people are alive today who would not be, because of the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund. This is a proven program that is demonstrating results by saving millions of lives and improving our global reputation around the world.
Yet for all the good it does and all the accolades it receives, there are some in the Congress that are not putting their full weight behind fully funding the Global Fund and behind keeping our promise. I call on both Senator Shaheen and Senator Gregg, the ranking member on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, to firmly stand behind the Global Fund. I ask that they stand up, and find the funds that will help save lives around the world. Make no mistake, the current fiscal crisis makes these international decisions difficult, but turning away now is antithetical to our own interests and beliefs — it is against who we are and what we believe. We need to trim the fat of government, but don’t do it with the lives of the world’s poorest.
Michael Castaldo
Bipartisan Action on Foreign Operations Funding
Chairman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Ranking Member Kay Granger (R-TX) exemplified bipartisan leadership in navigating the $48.8 billion State-Foreign Operations bill though the House Appropriations Committee yesterday afternoon. After a few amendments, the bill passed by a near unanimous voice vote demonstrating solid support for live-saving, effective programs.
Over the past few months ONE members across the country contacted Members of Congress on the importance of fighting poverty, and it is clear that ONE has been heard. But no resting on our laurels, there is much, much more to do. The full House will take up the bill after the July 4th holiday, and the Senate Appropriations Committee will begin its work around the same time.
On our key programs, some funding levels are very good, and on others, we need to do more. For global health programs, the House Appropriations Committee provides $7.7 billion, which includes fully funding PEPFAR at $5.259 billion. The global health amount also includes $750 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and there is an additional $300 million in the Labor-Health and Human Services bill for a total of $1.05 billion, but the need is $2 billion, so we have some work to do in boosting the funding for this critical, proven program. Good news is that the bill fully funds the President’s Malaria Initiative at $585 million and the Millennium Challenge Account at $1.4 billion, both huge increases from last year’s levels. There is also positive funding for basic education, child and maternal health, and other development programs.
However, in addition to the Global Fund, there is another area of significant concern, and that is the funding of the President’s Food Security initiative. The President’s request was approximately $1.4 billion, but the bill provides about $1 billion, and we believe most of this cut will be felt by African and Latin American countries. This is a key initiative that will help the world’s poorest countries increase their agricultural productivity, reduce poverty, and provide economic prosperity.
Yesterday’s action marks an important step in the funding process, and also provides us with the opportunity to make a difference going forward.
-Arjun Mody
Photo Journal: At the Tema General Hospital
On Day 5 of our listening/learning trip to Africa, we visited the Tema General Hospital (a (RED)/Global Fund site), located 22 miles outside of Accra in the largest port, industrial city in Ghana. Built in 1954, the hospital is currently undergoing renovations in an effort to better serve the increasing number of patients. An eye care center was recently completed and the Minister of Health just announced plans to construct a new, modern maternity block.
These are some photos from a PMTCT (prevent mother-to-child transmission) program funded by the Global Fund. The PMTCT program at Tema General Hospital provides voluntary counseling, testing, treatment and services to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child.
-Morgana Wingard
Highlights from Caceres: Mid-term Review of the Global Fund
We noted last week that donors met in Spain from March 31 to April 1 to review the progress and funding needs of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Here are some highlights from the communiqué.
Results show the Global Fund is having a significant impact: Michel Kazatchkine, the Global Fund’s Executive Director said that the Global Fund “is affecting the course of these three epidemics.” With commitments reaching $15 billion since inception in 2002, the Global Fund has provided support for more than 600 programs in 140 countries. The Minister of Health from Nigeria, the Honorable Babatunde Osotimehin, presented findings on Nigeria’s malaria prevention and control efforts, including contributions from the Global Fund of 4 million long-lasting insecticide treated nets and 18 million doses of ACTs. Burkina Faso’s Minister of Health, the Honorable Seydou Bouda, described many gains in malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS supported by the Global Fund, including 1.2 million children under five receiving ACTs, among others. (Stay tuned for more on Global Fund results coming later this week!)
Donors agreed that with the growth of Global Fund programs, long-term sustainability becomes even more important. Increased domestic financing for health from Global Fund recipients was one area emphasized as a way to improve sustainability. Nigeria and Burkina Faso both pledged full commitment to this. On the Global Fund side, participants asked that cost effectiveness and efficiency opportunities be pursued so that results can be maximized with available funding.
Demand for funding has increased so much that the Global Fund now estimates there is a $4 billion gap between resources currently available and those needed to meet the $13.5 billion demand from countries for 2008-2010. With what is currently available, Round 8 could be fully funded, but there is only $0.9 billion for Round 9 and subsequent rounds. The Global Fund Board will begin approving new grants in November of this year, so there is an urgent need for donors to address the funding gap. Spain has already shown its commitment, and was congratulated for increasing its contribution to $213 million. Other donors confirmed that that they expect to meet the commitments made in Berlin 2007. ONE is hoping they will in fact follow through on their commitments so the Global Fund can continue to support countries in their efforts to fight AIDS, TB, and malaria.
-Lisa Fleisher
Global Fund Update
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is holding an interim “review” from March 30-April 2 in Caceres, Spain, to evaluate its financial situation and discuss with donors the existing funding gap. Today’s sessions included discussions of performance and results as well as demand estimates and resource mobilization efforts for 2008 and 2010. We will continue to follow this in the coming days. Stay tuned!
-Lisa Fleisher
Meeting at the Global Health Council
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
Bush and AIDS
Commentary Magazine has published a fascinating inside account of President Bush’s fight against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic during his two terms in office. As President Bush’s time in office winds down over the next couple of weeks, pundits, commentators, and the public will begin the process of evaluating his place in history. This extremely intimate and detailed look at the creation and evolution of such programs as the Global Fund and PEPFAR under the President’s leadership is definitely worth a look.
Excerpts below, full article here
Bush’s interest in AIDS as a critical global problem was evident from the very beginning of his presidency. In March 2001 he established a cabinet-level council chaired by his top foreign-policy and health aides, Colin Powell and Tommy Thompson. On May 11, he gathered in the Rose Garden with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to announce a maiden contribution of $200 million (subsequently increased to $500 million) to a new international AIDS fund now known as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. This represented a 30-percent increase over Bill Clinton’s final budget in total foreign spending on the disease (on top of the $13 billion being spent annually on the domestic crisis).
Although by autumn the President would be consumed with the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the war in Afghanistan, his interest in the AIDS issue never wavered. In early 2002, he told Josh Bolten, his deputy chief of staff for policy, that he wanted to do more.
-Chris Scott
World AIDS Day Follow-up: Progress Made and the Road Ahead
Monday, December 1, was World AIDS Day. The global community has made tremendous progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS since the first World AIDS Day was observed in 1988. In 1996, at the Vancouver International AIDS conference, combination antiretroviral (ARV) treatment was announced to be highly effective in keeping those living with HIV healthy. Even with these medical breakthroughs, international actors were hesitant to attempt AIDS treatment in poor settings, due to the lack of infrastructure and other systemic barriers.
Fortunately, in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the global community did come together to reach poor countries through international HIV/AIDS efforts. In 1996, the Joint United Nations Program on AIDS (UNAIDS) began its work. In 2002, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was established, and in 2003, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched.
These significant medical and programmatic achievements have been accompanied with promising results on the ground, even in the poorest settings. As recently as 2002, only 50,000 HIV-positive people in Africa had access to antiretroviral medicine (only 1% of those in need). By the end of 2007, 2.1 million Africans (30% of those in need) — and nearly 3 million people globally (31% of those in need) — were receiving treatment. Additionally, the number of children under 15 in low-and middle-income countries who receive ARV treatment grew from 75,000 in 2005 to 200,000 in 2007.
Earlier this week, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced that 2 million people are on ARV treatment through Global Fund supported programs; this is an increase of 43% since the results were reported last December. The Global Fund has also supported 62 million HIV counseling and testing sessions, and provided basic care and support to 3.2 million AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.
These results are impressive, but the fight against HIV/AIDS is far from over. With 33 million people living with HIV worldwide (of which, 9.7 million still need ARV therapy) and 7,400 new HIV infections every day, global efforts must continue to help eradicate this devastating pandemic.
-Rena Pacheco-Theard
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy announced new Global Fund spokesperson
Today, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced a new global spokesperson. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, whose husband President Nicolas Sarkozy is the President of France, has agreed to use her influence and voice to support the important work of the Global Fund. France is currently the second largest contributor to the Global Fund, behind the United States.
Since its inception in 2002, the Global Fund has become the largest player in the fight against malaria and one of the largest in the fight against AIDS. It announced today that it has helped to support putting 2 million people across the world on life saving anti-retroviral therapy – a 43% increase over just last year.
The Global Fund’s financing needs are increasing rapidly as countries afflicted by AIDS, Tb and malaria are quickly developing qualified proposals to the fund that are outpacing incoming donor pledges. The role of global ambassadors like Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will be critical for the Global Fund to continue to provide the financing needed to fight these three killer diseases.
You can read the Global Fund’s press release on this new development here.
-Josh Lozman
Breaking News: $3 Billion in New Malaria Funding!!
Reporting to you live from outside the 2008 MDG Malaria Summit…
At the 2008 MDG Malaria Summit in New York today, global leaders in health, government and business announced over $3 billion in new malaria money to help spur the world toward ending malaria deaths by 2015 - making it the single biggest day for malaria announcements in the history of the fight against the disease.
Speakers including Bono, Gordon Brown, Bill Gates, President Kagame of Rwanda and President Kikwete of Tanzania discussed how far the world has come in recent years to combat malaria and how far we still have to go. Peter Chernin, President and COO of News Corporation and Malaria No More Chairman, helped moderate the event, adding that malaria is not an isolated disease but both a consequence and cause of extreme poverty.
Two of the biggest announcements were from the World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, announced $1.1 billion as funding for Phase II of the World Bank Booster Program and Rajat Gupta, Chair of the Global Fund, announced Round 8 funding recommendations for malaria control efforts totaling $1.62 billion.
In celebrating the new commitments, grassroots support and political will that is driving the worldwide effort to end malaria deaths, event host UN Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers urged the community not to become complacent. While today represents a big step forward, the race to end deaths - 3,000 children every day - is far from over.
For more information on the event and commitments, visit www.MalariaNoMore.org.
-Emily Bergantino, Communications Officer, Malaria No More
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