Global Fund calls for increased funding

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has called for the fourth round of funding proposals to tackle the three diseases. In its three previous rounds of funding, US $2.1 billion was pledged by the Fund to 224 programmes in 120 countries. The Fund said in a statement that it expected the new round of grants to contribute to a substantial increase in the amount of money already available. Executive director of the Fund, Richard Feachem, said the Fund would likely become the primary avenue for countries to finance the expansion of services needed to meet the World Health Organisation's (WHO) initiative to treat 3 million HIV-positive people by the end of 2005.