Global Fund and Big Business Partner against AIDS

March 23, 2012

Dr. Okala works in Chevron's at work health programs in Nigeria.

As donor countries tighten budgets to reduce debt, organizations like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria are feeling the effects. The fund announced last November it would not make any new grants until 2014. A recent meeting in Washington brought together U.S. and fund officials, NGOs and big business to discuss the fund’s future.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a 10-year-old public / private partnership. It accepts donations from governments, charity groups and major corporations. It has provided nearly $23 billion in grants for more than 1,000 programs in 150 countries.

Corporate investments in health

Coca-Cola and energy producer Chevron were among the major corporations taking part in the March 20th panel meeting in Washington, D.C. Chevron was named the first Global Fund Corporate Champion. It invested $30 million for the three-year period between 2008 and 2011 and has pledged another $25 million through 2013.

“Our involvement in AIDS, in particular, goes back 25 years. We’re a San Francisco-headquartered company. So we felt this issue acutely at the outset, not only in our home town, but also other areas we operated in Africa and Angola, where we’ve operated for over 75 years,” said Matt Lonner is manager of Chevron’s Global Partnerships Programs.