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The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB
and Malaria is “not in crisis” and once again is receiving commitments from key
donors, Deputy General Manager Debrework Zewdie said Wednesday in Washington.
At a Council on Foreign Relations
roundtable, Zewdie said the fund has received new or renewed multi-year pledges
from Germany, Japan, Spain and Britain. The United States, the fund’s largest
donor, has maintained its financial support during an internal crisis in which
the Global Fund was found to have lost tens of millions of dollars due to fraud,
waste, and corruption.
In response, the Global Fund
implemented major restructuring plans to deal with issues of mismanagement that
led to inadequate oversight. Zewdie noted that the fund’s grant-making monies
used to be evenly split between administrative and programmatic costs. Now,
administrative costs account for one-quarter of total grant activities.
Furthermore, the Global Fund is
shifting its focus to “high impact” areas and reducing its staff, who
previously numbered around 600, said Zewdie.
“Dr. Zewdie delivered a clear
message that the Global Fund’s transformation is well underway, with a strong
focus on impeccable grant management,” said Mark Isaac, interim president of
the Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “She
also underscored how critical ongoing US leadership is to ensuring support from
other nations and to reaching those most in need around the world with
lifesaving services.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
