"We broke the belief that there was nothing that could be done for people with HIV in South Africa. Activism can work."

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Global Fund - Where is the $10 billion?

If there was one story from the Barcelona conference, it could be summed up by the repeated call: 'Where is the $10 billion?'
This mantra to pressurise rich nations to donate the promised $10 billion annually to the Global Fund for HIV, TB and Malaria dominated canpaigning activity at the conference.
New executive director Dr Richard Feacham admitted that there was an $8 billion shortfall. He said the Fund needed a huge increase in resources, and needed it quickly.
It had already committed $1.6 billion to 40 programmes in 31 countries, Dr Feacham said: "But this is just a start and we need to do much more....The Fund needs a lot of new money, and needs it very quickly."
The Global Fund has only existed for a year, he said, and acts as a bridge between donors and recipients and between the public and private sectors.
The US has so far contributed $450 million to the Fund, (though ex-US President Bill Clinton said the US still owes the Fund $2 billion), and the UK $200 million - which as one activist commented, "is only half of the budget of the movie Titanic". The largest private contributor is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, pledging $100 million. The Brazilian health minister, Paulo Texeira, singled out Japan for criticism for only contributing $150 million.
Feacham pointed to what he called the potential HIV timebomb in Asia (especially in India and China) and said these countries were "on an African trajectory, just 15 years behind."
He reassured delegates that grants from the Fund would double the number of people in developing countries receiving antiretroviral drugs, including a six-fold increase in Africa.