SG/SM/9944
     AIDS/103
     22 June 2005

‘Let Us Spare No Effort’ to Accelerate Delivery of Life-Saving Programmes to Those Needing Them Most, Secretary-General Tells Meeting of Global Aids Fund

NEW YORK, 21 June (UN Headquarters) -- Following is the text of a message by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Replenishment Meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Rome, 20 June, delivered by Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS:

Let me at the outset convey my sincere gratitude to Minister for Foreign Affairs Gianfranco Fini, as well as the Government of Italy, for graciously hosting this important meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Let me also take this opportunity to reiterate my full support for the Global Fund, and my fervent hope that it will receive the funding necessary to carry out its mandate -- particularly through its Voluntary Replenishment Mechanism, which I chair.

The mechanism process is crucial to ensuring the long-term stability and planning of the Fund. In considering the needs for an effective Round Five, we are now at a critical juncture. I am glad that UNAIDS and WHO (World Health Organization) have joined forces with the Fund in writing to all donors to urge them to support the Round and maintain the momentum that is building at the country level.

We have entered a new phase in the fight against the epidemic -- the era of implementation. The Global Fund has already made a major contribution to supporting the expansion of programmes, as have the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the World Bank, and national Governments themselves. To make the money work for people, we must also enhance coherence and collaboration between all actors, including the multilateral system. I am grateful for the Global Fund’s participation in the work of the Global Task Team on Improving AIDS Coordination among Multilateral Institutions and International Donors, whose recommendations will be presented during the course of this meeting.

Building greater sustainability in funding the response to HIV/AIDS must be an important goal for us all. The UNAIDS family and I remain fully committed to working with the Global Fund, particularly at the country level, to ensure that obstacles to implementation are overcome. Let us spare no effort in our work to accelerate the delivery of life-saving programmes to the people who need them most.

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