§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contributions have been made to the global fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, broken down by country. [38108]
§ Clare ShortPledges to date amount to over US$1.9 billion. The Department for International Development has pledged £138 million (US$200 million) over five years. Contributions pledged to the GFATM listed by country can be found on the GFATM website at:http://www.globalfundatm.org/contribute.html.
Governments are now beginning to fulfil their pledges. To date, initial contributions have been received from Italy (US$43.25 million), Belgium (US$4.9 million) and Switzerland (US$3 million). The UK is the process of disbursing its initial contribution of £25 million. Substantial contributions from others should follow shortly. The fund expects to have around US$750 million to disburse in its first year.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the global fund for AIDS, TB and malaria concerning the aptitude of health systems to deliver programmes for the eradication of TB and malaria in developing countries. [38106]
§ Clare ShortMy officials are involved in intensive ongoing discussions with the global fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria (GFATM). These discussions have included the issue of the capacity of health systems to deliver programmes for the eradication of TB and malaria in developing countries.
The UK Government are strongly committed to health systems strengthening. We also believe that for GFATM to be effective it needs to focus largely on financing the purchase of drugs and commodities in order to add value to other international efforts.
Broader systems strengthening and multi-sectoral work will continue to require substantial funds which should and will more appropriately come from elsewhere: bilateral and multilateral donors and domestic developing country resources.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her forecast spending is on the UN Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria for each of the next five years. [39468]
§ Clare ShortThe Department for International Development has pledged £138 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria (GFATM) over five years, to be disbursed as follows.
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£ million 2001–02 25 2002–03 25 2003–04 25 2004–05 30 2005–06 33 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.
The Global Fund is an independent entity, which draws on the expertise of the UN specialised agencies and others. It is not a UN fund.