Japan's Additional Contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

December 12, 2003

On December 12 (Fri), at the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit, the Government of Japan announced that with a view to making an additional contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on an urgent basis, Japan pledges to contribute up to 100 million dollars for the year 2004 to the Global Fund. This additional contribution would bring Japan's pledged contribution to the Global Fund since 2002 to a total of 265 million dollars.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged this additional contribution at the Summit, which has been in session from December 11 in Tokyo, with a view to strengthening assistance for fighting the infectious diseases on a global scale, including in the Asian region. Placing importance on the role played by the Global Fund in strengthening measures against the infectious diseases in developing countries, Japan is committed to making a positive contribution, together with other donor countries, to further promoting the effective activity of the Global Fund.
At present, three major infectious diseases, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, are rampant, killing six million people in the world every year. Cases of AIDS, in particular, are increasing year after year and it is estimated that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS is about to reach 40 million worldwide. In such a situation, there is an urgent need to strengthen global response to the spread of the infectious diseases from the viewpoint of promoting economic and social development in developing countries. Japan has therefore been taking bilateral, multilateral, or combined measures against infectious diseases since the Kyushu-Okinawa G8 Summit in 2000, implementing the Okinawa Infectious Diseases Initiative and extending financial and personnel assistance to the Global Fund.
Prior to the establishment of the Global Fund, Japan pledged to contribute 200 million dollars to the Fund in June 2001 when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the U.S. Taking account of the fact that other G8 members pledged to large contributions to the Fund on and around the Evian G8 Summit in June this year, Japan has decided to make another contribution and has now pledged up to 100 million dollars for 2004. Japan is of the view that its additional contribution will be significant in facilitating the rapid implementation of the Fund's programs for measures against the infectious diseases in the Asian region.

(END)

Back to Index