ALMATY, October 22, 2008, Asia-Plus — The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund) will double financing of projects for combating these diseases in Central Asia, Mr. Urban Weber, Portfolio Managers’ Team Leader, Europe & Central Asia, Global Fund, announced at the Third two-day Central Asian Forum of Partners working in the field of HIV epidemic counteraction that opened in Almaty, Kazakhstan on October 21.
According to him the Global Fund board will discuss the issue of increasing financing of projects in Central Asia at its session in November. The amount is expected to rise by US$230 million and a total amount of financing for the next five years will reach US$440 million, Dr. Weber said.
According to him, the Global Fund has supported three application from Tajikistan fro a total amount of US$86 million in the framework of the 8th grant round. US$36 million will go for HIV infection epidemic counteraction, US$25 million for combating TB, and US$13 million for combating malaria.
The Forum, initiated by Central Asia AIDS Control Project (CAAP) and the UNAIDS, has brought together some 150 representatives of health and justice ministries, republican AIDS centers, sanitary and epidemiological services, nongovernmental AIDS-service organizations as well as religious leaders, journalists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to discuss the regional strategy of HIV infection epidemic counteraction in Central Asia.
The discussion of the regional strategy will allow improving the coordination and harmonization of international organizations and projects work in the Central Asian countries.
The issues of cooperation improving with the purpose to realize national Programs on HIV infection epidemic counteraction in CA countries are being discussed at the plenary session by the representatives of PLWH community, interested governmental institutions, journalists and Muslim religious leaders.
More detailed discussion of the main Regional Strategy priorities defining and ways of civil society organizations’ participation in AIDS programs effectiveness improving are being conducted in the thematic working groups today. Elaborated recommendations will be reflected in the Resolution which will be adopted by the participants of the Third Forum of Partners.
Central Asian Forum of Partners working on HIV epidemic counteraction is a big regional event in the field of regional initiatives coordination on HIV infection counteraction. Since 2006 Forum of Partners has been conducted every year in one of the countries of the region. The Forum is initiated by Central Asia AIDS Control Project and the UNAIDS. The previous Forum of partners working in the field of HIV epidemic counteraction took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in October 2007.
