The World fund for the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria was founded in 2001 to increase substantially resources to fight the three most deadly diseases in the world.

It operates as a partnership among governments, civil society, the private sector and persons afflicted with these diseases. The fund finances a broad range of activities related to prevention, care, treatment and victim support. Since its inception in 2002, programs financed up to May 30, 2009 have enabled 2,300,000 persons to receive treatment against HIV.

2010 is a crucial year for the future of the World Fund. It faces a 5 billon dollar shortfall in its effort to continue financing prevention, support and access to treatment for at least 3 million persons needing them. The G8, made up of the 8 richest countries in the world (including France and Canada), has made commitments to finance the World Fund and enable all HIV-positive persons needing treatment to receive anti-HIV treatment before the end of 2010.

AIDES position:

Its first action was to meet Mr. Bernard Kouchner (Minister of Foreign Affairs) and Mrs. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (World Fund Ambassador) in April 2009 to discuss increasing France’s support in the fight against AIDS by raising its contribution to the World Fund; unfortunately, there were no positive results.

Following this meeting, AIDES, in association with other NGOs, actively participated in the launch of a vast mobilization program called « Remind the Gap » in May 2009. NGOs asked Bernard Kouchner to be bold and daring and have the European Union and the G8 levy a tax on foreign exchange transactions which could generate 40 billion dollars per year for the World Fund.

It is presently too early to see the results of these efforts, but we will not give up!