[procaare] The Global Fund : A Means To Control Developing Countries

[Olivier Jablonski <procaare@usa.healthnet.org>]

Act Up-Paris Press Statement
October, 9, 2002
The Global Fund - A Means To Control Developing Countries
********************

In June 2001 the UN General Assembly Special Session launched the Global Fund to fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which developed countries committed themselves to funding.

To reach the required $10 billion a year, each country had to contribute only 0.05% of its
GNP. Yet, at present, there is only $500 million in the Global Fund's account, that is
less than 5% of what the Fund had planned to raise. France, for example, the 5th economic
power in the world, has only pledged a paltry contribution of $ 50 million a year and the
first installment has only now been sent to the Global Fund.

The first round of fund applications was assessed in April 2002. However, to date, despite
urgent needs, no money has yet been distributed. Thus, in Morocco, for example, general
access to antiretrovirals which the government had planned to start in September, is at a
standstill for lack of money promised by the Global Fund.

Not only are the Member States on the Fund Board of Directors unable to give out the
money, but they are presently busy setting up operations to control drug procurement and
intellectual property regulations in the countries that might benefit from the Fund. Such
issues will be tackled at a meeting of the Board in Geneva on October 10 and 11.

The sole aim of some developed countries, first and foremost, of the United states, is to
make sure there is no access to generics, but only to brand-name medicines sold by
multinational pharmaceutical companies. Thus the Global Fund totally exceeds its
authority, both its mandate and its duties.

The WHO and the WTO are the international regulatory and advisory institutions in charge
of health and intellectual property. The Global Fund is only supposed to collect and
distribute funding. In no way can it manage drug procurement policies in developing
countries or become the means for multinational corporations to fight access to generics.

Act Up-Paris denounces the policy of developed countries which, regardless of the
repercussions on infected people and on the spreading of the epidemic, divert the Fund
from its professed objectives. By refusing to allocate the necessary funds, by misusing
the Fund authority to control poor countries, developed countries bring discredit on
themselves and doom this initiative to failure.

Press Person: Gaëlle Krikorian ­ Tel : + 33 6 09 17 70 55 ­ + 33 1 49 29 44 75
Olivier Jablonski
E-mail: <ojablonski@free.fr>

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