SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES GATES FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL AIDS FUND
The following statement was issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General is delighted to welcome the $100-million contribution of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the Global AIDS and Health Fund.� This groundbreaking commitment is the largest private contribution to the Fund so far. It will form a cornerstone of the emerging global effort to reverse the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
HIV/AIDS is a global crisis that has already killed nearly 22 million people, including more than 4 million children.� It is unique in its social, demographic and economic devastation.� We are not powerless against this disease� -- but our response so far is still only a fraction of what it needs to be.
It is only through a truly global partnership, bringing together governments, corporations, foundations, civil society and individuals, that we can hope to pool the leadership and raise the resources needed to defeat this scourge.� The leadership shown by Bill and Melinda Gates today will not only serve as a powerful example to other private donors and to governments; in its own right, it will probably also save millions of lives.
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