Updated 01/31/10
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria are rapidly expanding threats to the welfare of the world, causing six million deaths in 2003. Yet these diseases can be prevented by effective treatment. The burden of these diseases is thirty times greater in lower income countries relative to high-income nations, resulting in tremendous economic loss, societal disintegration, and political instability. The Global Fund was created in January 2002 to respond to the formidable challenges presented by these diseases and associated costs. The need for such a fund was raised at the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori in 2000, and took shape at the OAU (Organization of African Unity) Meeting in Abuja, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS, and the Genoa Summit.
The Global Fund operates as a financial instrument, not an implementing entity. It attracts, manages, and disburses resources to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. It raises funds from both governmental and nongovernmental sources, and it works with governments, UN organizations, NGOs, researchers, corporations, affected communities, and other partners to direct resources toward prevention, treatment, and care. Since 2001, through these international donors, the Global Fund has committed over US$19.1 billion for initiatives in 144 countries.
For more information, please visit www.theglobalfund.org/en/.