Secretary-General Hails ‘Wonderful Display of Global Solidarity’ Amid Austerity,

 

in Closing Remarks to Global Fund Replenishment Conference

 

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s closing remarks, delivered by Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), to the Global Fund Replenishment Conference, in New York, today, 5 October:

I congratulate all of you — representatives from Governments, business, foundations and civil society — on today’s achievement.  This Fund has saved close to 6 million lives since 2002.  Thanks to your pledges we can save millions more.

Your commitment today represents a 20 per cent increase on what was announced three years ago in Berlin.  At a time of financial constraint and austerity, this is a wonderful display of global solidarity.

But this is a first step, and our work is far from over.  The resources you have agreed today will allow the Global Fund to maintain its current programmes.  But let us recognize that we need yet more funding — and from new sources — to beat these diseases and meet our Millennium Development Goals targets.

Our work has only begun.  Several donors have stated the possibility that they will donate additional funding during the replenishment period.  Our work must continue, and so must our efforts to mobilize resources to finance it.

I would like to thank all of you for your constructive and positive discussions these past two days.  I thank Vice-Chair Richard Manning for his wise and effective leadership, and Global Fund Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine and his hard-working Secretariat for the work that has gone into this replenishment.  And I commend the Global Fund Board, its committees and secretariat, for the ambitious agenda of innovation and improvement.

The combination of financial support and strong leadership we have seen this week mean that the Fund can continue to function at the cutting edge of health and development.  The United Nations family will continue to support this important work.

The Global Fund is a collective effort — a true partnership for development.  You are bringing hope of better health and improved well-being to millions of families around the world.

Today, you should feel proud.

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For information media • not an official record