Montreal meet seeks billions to boost AIDS, malaria, TB fights

International donors have kicked off a drive to raise USD 13 billion for fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed the killer diseases can be "eradicated" by 2030.
Trudeau is hosting the fifth triennial Global Fund replenishment conference to fight against these diseases, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and a half dozen heads of states also in attendance.
"It's a pivotal moment for our global community and a challenge of this magnitude requires a united, sustained commitment from all of us," Trudeau yesterday told a press conference, urging nations to give generously.
Created as a public-private initiative, the Global Fund has so far spent USD 30 billion on programmes to fight the three deadly diseases around the world, with most of it going to Africa.

It has been credited with helping to save 22 million lives and preventing 300 million infections over the past decade as it pursues a UN target of eradicating AIDS by 2030 and the other diseases even sooner.
But it needs to raise another USD 13 billion to fund its operations over the next three years through 2019.

"These epidemics can be eradicated," Trudeau said. "By working together we can put an end to these devastating illnesses forever."
"Make no mistake," he added, "this is a defining moment for us all. Our generation of leaders will be judged by our action or our inaction on this issue."

Joining political leaders will be Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, whose foundation has contributed a total of USD 1.6 billion to the Fund since its inception, as well as U2 frontman Bono.
Bono is also co-founder of the non-profit ONE that works to reduce poverty and disease in Africa, and will be a guest speaker at the forum.
The Fund has brought enormous heft in the fight against disease, with encouraging results.
Since 2005, the number of deaths from AIDS has dropped by one third with nine million people receiving anti-viral treatments, according to Global Fund spokesman Seth Faison.

While more than 100 countries have received assistance from the Fund, more than 70 per cent of its spending has gone to African countries, he said.
Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda have received the most.