Aids-related deaths in South Africa: 1 768 318 at noon on Wednesday April 12 2006
International community representatives on the board of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria have voiced concerns that, unless the process of calling for grants begins soon, grants may not be disbursed this year.
The fund allocates money through proposal rounds in which it asks countries to submit programme proposals.
Groups which have been encouraged to re-submit grant applications, as well as existing grant recipients whose grants are about to expire, are anxious for the round to be launched, the delegation said.
‘Six million of us already die each year [from Aids, tuberculosis and malaria],” the delegation said in a recent press statement. ‘Further delay in launching Round Six is immoral and unacceptable.”
The board of the fund, which will meet in Geneva from April 28 to 29, will consider when to launch the sixth round of grants, said Jon Lidén, the fund spokesperson. — Tumi Makgetla