FROM THE GFO EDITOR

Author:

Bernard Rivers

Article Type:

Article Number: 6

ABSTRACT Friends of the Global Fund Africa is launched / US makes record pledge to the Fund / Tools are released for Round 7 TB proposals / Members are sought for developing country NGOs Global Fund board delegation / HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting Announces Call for Abstracts.

Friends of the Global Fund Africa

Last month, Friends of the Global Fund Africa (Friends Africa) held its inaugural meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. This is the fourth Friends organization to be established; the others are in the USA, Japan and Europe. Each of them is formally independent of the Fund.

The Kigali meeting was opened by Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame. Some two hundred attendees, half from Rwanda and half from the rest of Africa, participated in two days of meetings under the theme Africans Taking Responsibility and Achieving Results in the Fight against AIDS, TB and Malaria.

The Chair of Friends Africa is Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede (Managing Director, Access Bank Plc). Board members include Ms. Jeannette Kagame (First Lady, Rwanda), General Yakubu Gowon (Former President, Nigeria), Dr. Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba (CEO, Friends Africa), Professor Sheila Tlou (Minister of Health, Botswana), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Former Minister of Finance, Nigeria), and Mr. Jonathan Oppenheimer (CEO, De Beers South Africa).

The meeting included workshops on how Friends Africa can involve civil society, the private sector and governments in the work of the Fund. An award for commitment was presented to Rev. Gideon Byamugisha, founder of the African Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV and AIDS.

Record US Pledge to the Fund

The United States Congress has resolved that the US will give $724 million to the Global Fund in 2007, one-third more than the US has given in any previous year. The US is by far the Global Fund’s largest single donor, having provided 29 percent of all pledges received by the Fund to date, although European Union member states together have provided more than half of the Fund’s support.

Tools for Round 7 TB Proposals

The Stop TB Department at WHO has released a set of planning tools for CCMs developing Round 7 TB proposals. See www.who.int/tb/dots/planningframeworks/gf_tb_proposals_preparation.

Members Sought for Developing Country NGOs Global Fund Board Delegation

Representatives of NGOs in developing countries are invited to apply for membership of the Global Fund board delegation that represents this sector. Nine people will be chosen to join the delegation that will attend two board meetings per year. One of those delegation members will later be chosen by the delegation to become the Alternate board member. All positions are unpaid, though travel expenses are covered. The deadline for applications has been extended to March 15. A copy of the document providing full details and application instructions has been placed at www.aidspan.org/documents/other/call-for-delegation-members.doc.

HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting Announces Call for Abstracts

PEPFAR, together with the Global Fund, WHO, and others, has announced a call for abstracts for a meeting of implementers of HIV/AIDS projects worldwide that will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, on June 16-19. The deadline for submission of abstracts is March 15. Details are available at www.hivimplementers.com.