Japan more than doubles 2004 contribution to global fund

Japan has pledged to contribute US$100m to the Global Fund in 2004, a rise of 150% compared with its planned $40m contribution.

Japan has been a key supporter of the Global Fund from the beginning. This latest pledge brings the total Japanese contribution for the period 2002-2004 to $260m. The pledge for 2003 is $80m.

Pledges to the Fund for the current year now amount to almost $3bn, with an additional $1.9bn pledged for 2005 to 2008, or for an unspecified period. The Global Fund has to date committed $2.1bn over two years to 224 programmes to combat HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in more than 120 countries.

Expected results from programmes approved for funding to date include

• more than 700,000 people on antiretrovirals, tripling current coverage in developing countries;

• 35m clients reached with HIV voluntary counselling and testing services for prevention;

• more than 1m orphans supported through medical services, education and community care;

• nearly 3m additional tuberculosis cases treated with DOTS successfully after diagnosis;

• tripling of treatment of multi-drug resistant TB globally, with more than 8,000 new treatments;

• 22m combination drug treatments for resistant malaria delivered;

• 64m bed nets will be financed to protect African families from transmission of malaria