The Global Fund’s Third Voluntary Replenishment Process is underway.US$20 billion is needed in order to continue building on the Global Fund’s significant achievements.

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is an international financing mechanism which channels resources to developing countries to strengthen national and regional responses to the three diseases. Global Fund resources originate from a wide variety of donors, both government (G8 members are the largest contributors), and private sector. The Global Fund undergoes a Voluntary Replenishment Process every few years so that donors may renew their funding pledges. The Replenishment Process is an opportunity to encourage potential donors to pledge funding while encouraging existing donors to increase their commitments. The Replenishment Process culminates at an international meeting in New York, October 2010, where donors officially confirm their pledges for the upcoming years.

The Global Fund’s Third Voluntary Replenishment is currently underway. Funds committed by donors at the meeting in New York in October, 2010 will cover all new grants approved by the Global Fund from 2011-2013. In order to be able secure the considerable progress that has been achieved so far as well as allow for scale-up and the approval of new programmes, the Global Fund estimates that a total of US$20 billion is needed from this Replenishment. However, the demand comes at a challenging moment for many donor countries suffering the repercussions of the global recession (read Friends of the Fund article, The Point of No Return for more information). Moreover, the international donor community appears to be suffering from AIDS fatigue, apparent in the US government´s call slow their year-on-year increases to international AIDS funding. International health priorities are changing amidst concerns that the Millenium Development Goals on maternal health and child mortality are far from being met.

In recognition of the challenges that will be faced in securing pledges totalling US$20 billion, a number of campaigns have been launched by Global Fund and partners alike to support the replenishment process and highlight the importance of continuing AND increasing AIDS funding.

Over the coming months, Friends of the Global Fund – Latin America and the Caribbean will be closely supporting the Replenishment process. Stay tuned for news on Global Fund achievements in our region and what role the Global Fund is playing and can continue to play in achieving the Millenium Development Goals and the UNGASS targets.

For now, we leave you with some of the Global Fund’s key achievements:

By end of 2009:

• An estimated 4.9 million lives saved by end of 2009

• 2.5 million people on ARV treatment

• 6 million people had received treatment for TB

• 104 million insecticide-treated nets had been distributed

You too can play a part in the Replenishment process by spreading the word on Twitter and Facebook. Start now by joining the Born HIV Free Campaign and reading individual stories feature featured in the Here I Am campaign from people who have benefited from Global Fund grants.