[procaare] Prof Kazatchkine Selected As Executive Director Of The Global Fund

["Global Fund Press Release" <procaare@healthnet.org>]

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
8 February 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROFESSOR MICHEL KAZATCHKINE SELECTED AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GLOBAL 
FUND

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Geneva - The Board of the Global Fund has chosen Michel Kazatchkine, a 
physician and global health expert, as the next Executive Director of the 
Global Fund. He replaces Sir Richard Feachem, the founding Executive 
Director, who steps down at the end of his five-year term on March 31.

Professor Kazatchkine is a physician who has treated people with AIDS for 
more than 20 years and led the world's second-largest AIDS research agency. 
He currently serves as France's Ambassador for HIV/AIDS and Communicable 
Diseases. Professor Kazatchkine is a former Vice Chair of the Global Fund 
Board and first Chair of the Global Fund's Technical Review Panel, which 
assesses the quality of grant proposals.

"The Vice Chair of the Board, Dr Lieve Fransen , and I are very pleased to 
welcome Professor Kazatchkine, an accomplished Global Health specialist, as 
the new Executive Director-designate of the Global Fund," said Dr Carol 
Jacobs Chair of the Board of the Global Fund. "This is a new period in the 
life of the Global Fund and we are indeed fortunate to have Professor 
Kazatchkine lead the Secretariat at the start of the Fund's second five year 
cycle.  He has a right blend of skills and experience needed to manage this 
unique financial institution".

"I am delighted by the choice of Michel Kazatchkine as my successor," said 
Professor Richard Feachem.  "I look forward to handing over a strong 
institution that is positively impacting tens of millions of lives in 136 
countries.  Under Dr Kazatchkine's leadership the Global Fund is in 
excellent hands and its life saving work will continue to expand."

In just five years, the Global Fund has become a leading force in the fight 
against the three diseases.  It provides two-thirds of international funding 
for the fight against malaria and TB, and 20 percent of the global funding 
to fight AIDS.  With 450 programs in 136 countries Professor Kazatchkine 
will lead the largest international financier of TB and malaria programs and 
one of the three largest funders of HIV/AIDS programs in the world.

The Global Fund has approved grants for 450 programs in 136 countries with a 
total commitment of US$ 7 billion. As of December 2006, 770,000 people have 
begun antiretroviral (ARV) treatment through Global Fund-supported programs 
and nearly 18 million insecticide-treated bed nets have been distributed to 
prevent malaria. In addition, tuberculosis programs have detected and 
treated 2 million TB cases under DOTS, the internationally-approved TB 
control strategy.


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The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to 
attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat 
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, 
civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new 
approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close 
collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to 
supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.



Further information, please contact:

Jon Lidén - Head of Communications (The Global Fund)
Office:     +41 22 791 17 23
Mobile:     + 41 79 244 60 06
jon.liden@theglobalfund.org

Seth Amgott
Mobile:     + 1 202 415 2625
seth@amgottmitchell.com

Amanda Mitchell
Office:     +1 347 721 3010
Mobile:     + 1 917 250 1175
amanda@amgottmitchell.com

Nicolas Demey - Communications Officer (The Global Fund)
Office: +41 22 791 59 57
Mobile:     + 41 76 436 43 20
nicolas.demey@theglobalfund.org


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