By Candace Freeman

THE Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has reached 80 percent of target grant recipients, catering for 2,3 million people for testing, treatment and care of HIV and AIDS.

The new statistics are contained in "A force for change: The Global Fund at 30 months", which is a report that assesses progress since the Global Fund's creation in early 2002, that was launched in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday.

An analysis of 25 of the Fund's 296 grants which have been in operation for one year, found that 12 were on target or over performing, while five were severely behind schedule.

The remaining eight programmes are slightly behind target but are expected to catch up in their second year, says the report.

Global Fund's Director for Strategic Information and Evaluation Bernhard Schwartlander however said a year was a very short period of operation in which to measure results.

"The real impact of ongoing grants will really only be possible to measure after a few years. But we felt compelled to publish these early findings as there is such a keen interest in and great expectations for the Global Fund," he said.

The 25 grants given to 15 countries have reached a total of 2.3 million people with interventions such as testing, treatment and care and 340 000 people have been trained in treatment delivery for HIV and AIDS.

An estimated 5 200 people have been reached with antiretroviral therapy in four programmes, while 45 000 people have been successfully cured of TB.

Nearly 350 000 bed nets to combat malaria have been distributed in three programmes, states the report.

Meanwhile, delegates attending the First Biennial Global Fund Partnership Forum, which ended in Bangkok yesterday, called on the Fund to ensure that there was a new call for grant proposals in early 2005.

The Partnership Forum, a mandated part of the governance structure of the Global Fund, meets every two years to give global stakeholders a formal voice and the opportunity to review progress, discuss and debate the issues, and send a series of recommendations to the Board for consideration.

"The Forum's delegates have sent a clear message that the Global Fund is a success. Many, particularly from civil society and recipient countries, are calling for Round Five to be announced at the next Board meeting," said Board vice-chair Hélène Rossert-Blavier.

The Global Fund finances grants to countries in rounds of financing. The four first rounds of grants have taken place approximately every nine months since the Fund's inception.
Source: BuaNews