Vol. 562 No. 5
180 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's views on the failure of developed countries to adequately fund the Global Fund on Health; and the planned Irish contributions to the fund for each of the next five years. [6571/03]
Following the UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS, the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria was established in January 2002. The fund is an independent public private partnership the purpose of which is to increase the volume of financial resources which can be allocated to controlling the spread of AIDS, TB and malaria in poorer countries. To date it has approved grants amounting to $1.5 billion in support of over 160 new programmes in 85 countries.
The UN estimates that $10 billion is required each year to halt the progression of HIV in poorer countries. Though it was never intended that the fund would generate all of these resources, it was anticipated that its establishment would greatly increase the volume of financial resources available to respond to the threat of this disease. To date total pledges to the fund amount to just over $2 billion. Its secretariat has calculated that it will need to generate an additional $6.3 billion over the next two years to meet projected financing requirements.
Ireland has been a strong advocate of the fund since it was first proposed by the UN Secretary General in 2001. To date we have contributed €12.9 million to it. Ireland is one of only a small number of countries to have fully honoured its pledges of financial support.
It is the Government's view that the establishment of the global fund is a key element in the response of the international community to the threat posed by AIDS, TB and malaria.
We are concerned at the current shortfall in its funding requirements and at the fact that many developed countries have yet to honour pledges which had earlier been made. In our view, responsibility for accelerating financial contributions to the fund falls primarily on the G8 and other OECD states. The recent announcement by President Bush of an additional $1 billion to be contributed to the fund over the next five years is to be welcomed in this context. It is important also that efforts are made to increase the volume of donations from the corporate and private sectors.
