UNDP and Global Fund sign agreement to bolster efforts
New York City - A new agreement reached in Zimbabwe by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is set to provide a major boost in the fight against HIV and AIDs in the country, which is among the hardest hit by the virus in sub-Saharan Africa.
The announcement, made as the two organizations signed an ‘Implementation Letter’, will see US$ 126 million added to the Global Fund’s existing HIV grant in Zimbabwe. The existing grant, agreed with UNDP in 2013, saw US$ 311,175,241 in funding established to support the Government of Zimbabwe in their national response to HIV and AIDS.
The AIDS epidemic is particularly acute in Zimbabwe, with a prevalence rate of 15 percent among adults aged 15-49 years.
HIV treatment has seen a dramatic increase in Zimbabwe, with almost three quarters of a million people receiving medication in 2014, up from 566,000 in 2012.
The additional funding will allow UNDP to bolster its efforts combatting the disease, with a new target of 894,000 people receiving HIV treatment. It will also contribute to improved quality of care, reduce new infections and keep people alive, further promoting sustainable human development in the country.
The project is now estimated to save more than 58,000 lives per year in avoided HIV mortality.
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in 2013 there were 35 million people living with HIV globally, with 13.6 million having access to antiretroviral therapy as of June 2014.
About the Global Fund
The Global Fund is a 21st-century organization designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics.
Founded in 2002, the Global Fund is a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by the diseases. The Global Fund raises and invests nearly US$4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in more than 140 countries.
About UNDP
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.
Contact Information
Dylan Lowthian
Communications Analyst
dylan.lowthian@undp.org tel. +1 212 906 5516