The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has revised the eligibility, cost-sharing and prioritization requirements of future financing proposals. The revisions will be implemented in the Global Fund’s 11th round of funding, second wave of National Strategy Applications and pilot of the Health Systems Funding Platform next year. The Global Fund has approved 72 grants worth a total of USD1.7 billion for its 10th funding round.
Donors have pledged USD358 million to replenish the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, while the European Investment Bank has launched a technical assistance fund meant to boost the bank’s operations in Eastern European countries. Still in Europe, the German government formalized on Dec. 16 the merger of its three foreign aid organizations, namely the German Organization for Technical Cooperation, German Development Service and Inwent.
The Somali transitional federal government has called off its ban on several aid agencies for missing a government-sponsored meeting on the country’s drought. Donors, meanwhile, may continue with their concerted probe into allegations that the Ethiopian government is using foreign aid money to quash political dissidence.
In the U.S., the Millennium Challenge Corp. is expected to employ more in-house specialists to improve the preparation of its threshold programs. The U.S. government has also launched a website that tracks U.S. aid investments across countries and sectors.
Appointments:
Julie Katzman – executive vice president, Inter-American Development Bank.
Vivienne Cox – member, management board of the U.K. Department for International Development.
