Global Health Fund (Hansard, 5 February 2002)

§ Tony Baldry
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what further funds her Department will direct towards the Global Health Fund and from which part of her Department's budget. [32116]

§ Clare Short
The UK was one of the first donors to make a pledge to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria. DFID has committed £200 million over five years from its budget. As the fund gets up and running, we will closely monitor its effectiveness and the value it adds to the international effort against the three diseases, and review our contributions accordingly.

§ Tony Baldry
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work her Department is undertaking to ensure the Global Health Fund meets its pledge to leverage additional financial resources. [32115]

§ Clare Short
The UK and others have worked hard to ensure that one of the criteria for assessing applications to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria (GFATM) will be the level of domestic Government, public sector and civil society commitment (both financial and political) to fighting the three diseases. This will be a strong in-built incentive for increased domestic health spending.
The UK has also made clear that for the fund to realise its full potential, donors will need to increase spending on health through bilateral and multilateral channels in tandem with their fund contributions, not least to ensure that health systems are able to deliver the drugs and commodities the fund will finance. The UK has committed over £1 billion since 1997 to such health systems strengthening.

§ Tony Baldry
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress was made at the first board meeting of the Global Health Fund in Geneva; and if she will make a statement. [32112]

§ Clare Short
The first board meeting of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria took place on 28–29 January. The fund was legally established as a foundation in Switzerland. The board approved a call for proposals and finalised a set of guidelines for their submission, which are designed to help potential recipient country partnerships apply for funding. The guidelines also explain the proposal review process. The fund is therefore on target to make its first decisions on disbursing resources to countries at the second board meeting, due to take place in the week beginning 22 April.