Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies - 18 September 2003
Re Honouring Commitment Made Under the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
As concerned international development organisations, AIDS service organisations, campaign groups, labour movements, faith-based organisations, persons living with HIV/AIDS and concerned citizens we are writing to urge you to remember the commitments your government made in June 25-27, 2001 when you and 190 other UN member states adopted the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS.
In adopting this Declaration the international community set common targets for reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS and alleviating its impact. Among other things world leaders committed themselves to help affected countries address the crisis by reaching an overall target of annual expenditure on the epidemic of between US$ 7 and 10 billion by 2005 . They also promised to establish a global HIV/AIDS and health fund to finance an urgent and expanded response to the epidemic.
In January 2002, the call for a special fund was heeded with the creation of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). The Fund is a new and innovative multilateral financial instrument. It operates as a financial instrument, not an implementing agency, with the goal of dramatically increasing resources available to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Fund is a private-public partnership managed by a Board made up of equal numbers of donor and recipient countries, with participation from NGOs, private foundations, the business community and persons living with HIV/AIDS, TB or Malaria.
In calling for the Fund, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asked for $7 billion to $10 billion a year to fight HIV/AIDS alone. Current estimates of the cost to address all three diseases are closer to $14.2 billion for 2004 , and steadily more for later years.
The GFATM faces a financial crisis. The funds pledged and remitted by donor countries so far have been sufficient to approve 150 proposals from 92 countries. However, new commitments are not materializing and there are insufficient pledges on hand to meet projected needs in 2004 and beyond. A long-term sustainable system for financing the GFATM is required to ensure that we can help affected countries cope with HIV/AIDS, as called for under the Declaration of Commitment.
At the International Meeting to Support the Global Fund held in Paris, 16 July 2003, civil society groups challenged world leaders to ensure that the GFATM has long term sustainable funding through implementing an Equitable Contributions Framework based on a country's GDP. The Equitable Contributions Framework calls on all rich and medium income countries to share the cost of helping countries to address the burden of these three diseases. As has been pointed out by numerous economic and security experts the health of the global economy depends on the health of its citizens. Ignoring the health of one third of the world's population will have dire consequences for our global community.
The UN and international financial institutions have equitable funding mechanisms to address peacekeeping and other initiatives; it's time that the world took the war on AIDS, TB and Malaria seriously by implementing a similar mechanism to ensure sustainable funding to the GFATM.
The United Nations General Assembly will convene a full day meeting to review the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS on September 22. The meeting will provide an opportunity for world leaders to account for their progress in achieving targets set by the Declaration. We call on you to take this opportunity to renew your commitment to the GFATM by increasing your pledge and endorsing an Equitable Contributions Framework.
Yours truly,
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria
UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS
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