Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - During the third and final meeting of the replenishment in 2005, hosted by the UK in London, donors to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria met to discuss funding needs for 2006 and 2007 and resource shortfalls for 2005. Donors reviewed the progress of the Global Fund to date and exchanged views on the operations and effectiveness of the Fund. The aim of the meeting was to encourage donors to be more generous in the next two years.
The Global Fund is a partnership between public and private sectors of governments, companies and businesses and affected countries. Founded three years ago the Fund has since sponsored 300 programmes in 127 countries.
Each year between 350 and 500 million people in the world develop malaria and 90% of the ensuing deaths are registered in sub-Saharan countries. The impact of AIDS continues to rise and at the end of 2004 in the world 39.4 million people were HIV positive.
In nine African countries life expectancy has dropped to 40 years because of AIDS and in many countries on the continent a quarter of the adult population is infected .
Tuberculosis kills 1.7 million people every year, one person every 20 seconds. More than half the people who are HIV positive also have tuberculosis. (AP) (6/9/2005 Agenzia Fides; Righe:19; Parole:206)
