A coalition of public health advocacy organisations in the United States, Europe, Canada and Japan have embarked on a ‘€œFund the Fund’€, a campaign to address the U$1,6 million (R13 million) budget shortfall faced by the global fund.

Sharonann Lynch, spokesperson for Health GAP, a US-based activist group, said that the aim of the campaign would be to pressure the governments of wealthy countries to contribute urgently needed resources to the global fund.

‘€œNone of the world’€™s wealthiest governments has contributed an amount on par with the size of their economies. Instead, the United States, Japan, France, Germany, Britain, Canada, Italy and other countries have all given far less than their fair share,’€ said Lynch.

‘€œFund the Fund’€ was launched after forty representatives from non-governmental organisations and activist groups from Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan held a two-day summit in Paris to discuss the emergency need for massive scale-up of funding for the global fund.

‘€œWe recognise that the global fund is the best chance for fighting the global AIDS crisis,’€ Lynch added.

The global fund is facing a budget shortfall of U$1,6 billion to meet the anticipated need in the third round of grants in October.

Launched in January last year, the global fund has disbursed U$1,5 billion (R12 billion) in grants to 160 programmes in 85 countries in its first and second round of grants.

The global fund was originally called for by the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and authorized at the G8 summit in Genoa in July 2001. Annan estimated at the time that U$10 billion (R80 billion) was needed annually to turn the tide on the epidemic.

‘€œFund the Fund’€ advocates contend that wealthy countries have given too little money to the global fund and ignored the immediate and overwhelming need in the developing world for medicines and HIV treatment.

The campaign has demanded that the Heads of State commit at least the amount necessary to meet the need estimated in the third round of proposals ($U1,6 billion) by the time of the G8 summit in Evian, France in June.

‘€œHeads of State must not turn their backs on millions of people in need only two years after authorising the fund’€™s creation at the G8 summit in Genoa in July 2001,’€ said Khalil Elouardighi of activist group ACT UP-Paris.

Health GAP calculations showed that almost 500 000 people in developing countries would have access to anti-retrovirals five years after the first global fund monies were dispensed.

But World Health Organisation estimates show that between six and nine million people in developing countries require immediate anti-retroviral therapy.

About 20 000 South Africans are currently using anti-retrovirals. These are either people who form part of drug trials, have the means to pay privately or are on a medical aid that makes provision for anti-retroviral therapy.

Global fund Executive Director, Professor Richard Feacham, is currently in South Africa to meet with stakeholders and sign over the funds approved in rounds one and two.