WHO Global Fund representatives attend meeting

WHO Global Fund representatives to attend Pacific Health Ministers' meeting

Port Vila, Vanuatu, 13 March 2007 - Representatives of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have travelled from Geneva to attend this year's Pacific Health Ministers' meeting in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 12-15 March 2007.

In the Pacific, the Global Fund has so far approved grants totalling in excess of US$89 million to assist the region in fighting the three diseases. GFATM's first investment in the Pacific was in June 2003 when it signed three grants for multi-country proposals that were approved under round two of the funding round. This was followed by the signing of the first of a number of grants for Papua New Guinea in August 2004 and again in 2005. Most recently, a grant for scaling up malaria control activities was signed in 2006 for Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Joint presentations today by GFATM and SPC covered an introduction to the Global Fund, updates on some of the more recent policy decisions made by the Global Fund board, and the recently announced launch of the seventh funding round, which closes 4 July. So far, 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have signalled their intention to submit proposals for one or more disease components.

As the region's two main technical agencies, the SPC and WHO are mobilising their resources to assist countries that want to submit proposals for funding consideration by the Global Fund.

At the time round seven was launched on 1 March, the Global Fund had already set aside US $500 million towards the round. This is expected to increase ahead of the board meeting to be held in November in Kunming, China, when the Board will make its decisions on proposals recommended by the Technical Review Panel for financing.

ENDS

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