United kingdom

ABSTRACT A recently published report on racism in the aid sector, commissioned by the British Government, is a ‘must read’ for anybody working in this sector. Some of the issues raised in this report are uncomfortably close to home for the way the Global Fund operates, and the Global Fund, committed to transparency and continuous improvement, should take note of them.

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic sparked an overall increase in development assistance in 2020 as donor countries raised billions of dollars to address the health, social and economic impacts of the disease. However, some countries whose economies have shrunk significantly, such as the United Kingdom, reduced their aid funding. It is still not clear how the pandemic will affect aid in 2021 and beyond as the Thibou donor countries continue to prioritize their domestic responses and rebuild their economies.

ABSTRACT The G7 countries, the world’s most advanced economies – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – are the Global Fund’s largest donors, and their contributions account for approximately 79% of all the funds raised by the Global Fund thus far. Their contributions have increased steadily since the Global Fund’s inception. So far, five of the seven countries – Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom – have announced their pledges for the 2020-2022 replenishment cycle, most of which have increased by about 15% relative to the last replenishment.

ABSTRACT The three NGO board members of the Global Fund, backed by a coalition of NGOs in Europe, North America and Japan, today launched a Call for Action regarding Global Fund financing. They explained that donor governments, at their Replenishment Meeting on September 5-6 in London, are likely to pledge far less money to the Global Fund than the Fund says it requires.

ABSTRACT Two world leaders, Gordon Brown of the UK and Jacques Chirac of France, have proposed radical new mechanisms that would, if implemented, provide major increases in funding for the fight against AIDS in general and the Global Fund in particular.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the Fund. It includes a video that conceptually illustrates disease being confronted by the Global Fund. It does this by showing a street-fighting bully who is eventually knocked flat by an even bigger fighter.

ABSTRACT The US is likely not to hand over a small portion of its 2004 pledge to the Global Fund, because of US legislation that says that the amount given by the US must not exceed 33% of all donations made this year. And the UK has doubled its Global Fund pledge for 2005-7; but despite major new commitments for AIDS in general, the UK is only giving ten percent of its AIDS expenditure to the Fund.

ABSTRACT Within a day or two of the end of the January Board meeting, GFO will email to subscribers a report on what was discussed, what was decided (including which proposals in Round Two were approved), and what was said in the key papers used as inputs to the meeting.