Grant Aid to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

December 16, 2003

1. On December 16 (Tue), the Government of Japan decided to contribute up to US$50.3 million (approximately 6.1366 billion yen) in emergency grant aid to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This contribution will be made as part of Japan's contribution of US$85 million for the fiscal year 2003.
2. At present, three major infectious diseases, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, are rampant, killing six million people in the world every year. Cases of AIDS infection, in particular, are increasing year after year, including in Asia, and it is estimated that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS is about to reach 40 million worldwide. Given this situation, Japan announced at the Kyushu-Okinawa G8 Summit the "Okinawa Infectious Diseases Initiative" and has played a leading role in establishing the Global Fund. Japan places importance on the role played by the Global Fund in strengthening measures against the infectious diseases in developing countries and this new contribution to the Global Fund is being made with a view to continuing assistance for fighting the infectious diseases on a global scale.

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Japan has pledged US$200 million to the "Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria" for the three-year period beginning in 2002. In FY2001 and FY2002 a total of about US$80 million was contributed, and in FY2003 a total of about US$85 million is to be contributed, including this emergency grand aid. Furthermore, on December 12 (Fri), Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, at the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit, pledged to contribute up to US$100 million 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 US$265 million.