Donors to the Three Diseases Fund welcome the Global Fund's return
The Fund committed to continue working in Myanmar

Yangon, 16 November (Three Diseases Fund)-On Thursday 12 November in Addis Ababa, the Board of Directors of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has made an overall approval of new grants with a two-year commitment of US$2.4 billion, of which approximately US$111 million will be available for Myanmar for two years and up to US$288 million over five years.

The donors to the Three Diseases Fund—Australia, the European Commission, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom—welcome the Global Fund’s decision and are pleased to see the result of the collaboration by the Myanmar Country Coordination Mechanism, a joint effort from representatives of UN and non-governmental agencies, donors, people living positively with HIV and the national diseases control programmes chaired by the Minister of Health.

"The Three Diseases Fund has proved it can deliver aid effectively, and it has helped to contain the diseases‚" Bengt Ekman, Chairperson of the Fund Board and representative of Sweden in the Donor Consortium, said. With US$120 million pledged over five years, the 3DF has provided grants to support 42 NGO and UN projects addressing the needs of the most needy and vulnerable communities since 2006.

The six donors, several of which are key contributors to the Global Fund, are looking forward to ensuring that the two funds will be complementary to each other.

"The donors are committed to continue working together in Myanmar and will commission a scoping study on funding gaps and needs in health beyond 2011‚" Mr Ekman underlined.

The Three Diseases Fund's partners currently provide anti-retroviral treatment to 8,865 people living with HIV. HIV prevention programmes have benefited over 600,000 people, changing attitudes, increasing knowledge and encouraging preventative practices. Thirty million condoms have been distributed or sold through social marketing to populations at high risk of HIV including commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users. The 3DF has supported treatment for 30,000 TB patients and 700,000 cases of malaria.

For more information about the Three Diseases Fund in Myanmar, please contact:
Moe Moe Oo, Communications Assistant, Three Diseases Fund
Tel/Fax: 95-1-534498, 504832
E-mail: info@3dfund.org