AHF Praises Global Fund Cuts to China

In China, Global by AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation Has Been An Outspoken Critic of China’s Misuse of Global Fund Monies, Spearheading a Year-Long Campaign Urging the Country to “Give More, Take Less”

LOS ANGELES, CA (October 31, 2011)—Today, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, praised the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, for reducing funding to China. AHF has spearheaded a year-long campaign aimed at persuading the country to “Give More, Take Less” from the Global Fund. The effort is part of AHF’s ongoing advocacy efforts calling for reform of the Global Fund, to ensure the best, most effective use of limited funding to fight the global AIDS epidemic.

According to the Associated Press (Global Fund, China Agree to Cut $95m from Grants, October 31, 2011): “A global health fund and China have agreed to cut $95 million from grants for disease-fighting programs in the country amid donor pressure to prevent misuse of money and reduce aid given to the world’s second-largest economy…The cut makes up nearly a third of the $270 million in grants that had been in the pipeline for China. The move also comes as the Fund has come under scrutiny from donors after disclosing alleged fraud in its grants in some other countries.”

Nearly one year ago—on the eve of World AIDS Day 2010 (December 1st)—AHF led two simultaneous protests in Washington, DC and Los Angeles targeting the Government of China over its misuse of the Global Fund. Later in December, the group spearheaded protests in Durban, South Africa, St. Petersburg, Russia and Mexico City, Mexico over the same issue. In addition, AHF delivered letters to each one of the Global Fund Board Members during a Board meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria last December urging them to address China’s misuse of the grant monies. Over the past ten years, China has received nearly $1 billion ($940M) from the Fund, yet has contributed just $16 million. Over the same years, the United States has contributed $5.1 billion to the Fund—more than 28 percent of all contributions to the Fund.

“AHF has been advocating vigorously for China to ‘give more, take less’ when it comes to Global Fund monies, so today’s news is very welcome, indeed,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “As one of the largest recipients of Global Fund money, China—second only to the U.S. as the largest economy in the world—has been taking desperately-needed resources away from countries with far greater need. The $95 million cut from China’s grant is $95 million that can now be used in countries with far fewer resources. We hope that today’s news is just the beginning of efforts to address Global Fund grant inequities and signals a trend toward a more responsible and effective use of limited funding to fight global diseases.”

China currently has over $2.5 trillion dollars in foreign currency reserves. It spent over $40 billion to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, and over $58 billion to hold the 2010 World Exposition.

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About AIDS Healthcare Foundation
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 152,000 individuals in 26 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. www.aidshealth.org

Lori Yeghiayan
Telephone: (323) 308-1834, Mobile: (323) 377-4312
Email: [email protected]

Ged Kenslea
Telephone: (323) 308-1833 Mobile: (323) 791-5526
E-Mail: [email protected]

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