Ottawa, ON – The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, today met with Michel Kazatchkine, Director of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and reiterated support for this fund.
“I am proud that this government continues to be a worldwide leader in the effort to combat wide spread and deadly diseases,” said Minister Oda. “Canada was instrumental in the development of the Global Fund, and our continued partnership is achieving results that mean healthier lives for people living in developing countries."
“Canada’s support for the Global Fund has never been more valuable than now, at a time when global economic dislocation puts disproportionate strain on developing countries, many of which are recipients of our funding,” said Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.”
Since 2008 the Global Fund has provided 70 million insecticide-treated bednets to protect families against malaria and another 2 million have received antiretroviral treatment for HIV. Another 14 percent of its funds go to tuberculosis; since its inception over 3.3 million people have successfully been treated for the disease.
The meeting took place two days prior to World Malaria Day, an occasion to recognize the global effort to control of this life-threatening parasitic disease. It is contracted by approximately 500 million people each year and the victims of malaria are most often infants, young children and pregnant women living in sub-Saharan Africa.
An additional $450M over three years was pledged to the Global Fund in Budget 2008, bringing Canada's total commitment to $978.4M to support HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria prevention and treatment efforts. This is Canada’s largest commitment to an international health organization and one of the largest contributions Canada has ever made.
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Michelle Coates
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
Telephone: 819-953-6238
Media Relations Office
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Telephone: 819-953-6534
E-mail: media@acdi-cida.gc.ca
