AHF Praises Kerry’s Call on UN Members to Support Global AIDS Fight

In Global, News by AHF

Speaking before the UN General Assembly in New York, US Secretary of State, says, “Fighting global AIDS is a global responsibility,” also calls on member countries to support the Global Fund replenishment

WASHINGTON (September 25, 2013)—AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today praised U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for remarks delivered earlier today before the UN General Assembly in New York in which he told the members that “Fighting AIDS is a global responsibility. All members should support the upcoming Global Fund replenishment.” Kerry also noted that through PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the U.S. has helped save one million babies from being born with HIV.

“John Kerry is right: fighting AIDS is a global responsibility and we thank him for reminding U.N. members of this in his speech at the General Assembly today and for calling on all UN member countries to support the upcoming Global Fund replenishment,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “While we’ve seen some remarkable leadership so far—the UK committed £1 billion to the fund for the 2014-16 period earlier this week, and Sweden and Norway committed US$750 million earlier, $150 million more than their prior commitments, outliers like China—which has contributed almost nothing—remain. Kerry’s remarks serve as a clarion call to honor our collective responsibility in the global fight against AIDS.”

The Global Fund is an international organization set up to provide funding to poorer countries that do not have the financial or political ability to combat diseases such as AIDS and malaria. The Fund relies on the donations of many developed countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan and Spain for the money to fund these services. The United States is by far the largest contributor to the Fund. Since its inception in 2002, the Global Fund has “…supported more than 1,000 programs in more than 140 countries, providing AIDS treatment for 5.3 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 11 million people and 340 million insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria.”

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