Japan contributes a further $560M to Global Fund

Japan's Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, has announced a new contribution worth $560.0 million for the coming years from 2009 onwards to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This pushes Japan's total offering to the Global Fund to nearly $1.5 billion. Last February, the country committed $184.0 million for 2008, and is now the third largest donor to this public/private partnership.

With Japan's new contribution, the Global Fund says it has to date raised more than $20.0 billion to invest in treatment and prevention programs fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria around the world. The creation of the Global Fund was called for by G8 nations following the 2000 summit in Okinawa, Japan. The latter is also hosting the 2008 G8 summit, this time in Toyako, where development and health issues are again expected to be high on the agenda.

"Ahead of the 2008 G8 meeting, Japan is setting a great example for other large nations," said Rajat Gupta, chairman of the Global Fund Board, noting that it has a responsibility to stem the spread of these three diseases which still claim the lives of six million people annually.