DUSHANBE, May 20, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has provided the Republican AIDS Center as well as AIDS centers in the cities of Kulob and Roghun and the districts of Bobojonghafurov (Sughd province), Murgab (Gorno Badakhshan) and Farkhor (Khatlon province) with vehicles NIVA (Russian jeep).

Numon Abdukhamedov, a specialist with the Republic AIDS Center, said a ceremony of signing of an agreement on donation of six vehicles to the mentioned AIDS centers was signed in Dushanbe on sidelines of an action to honor all those who have been affected by AIDS pandemic that took place in here on May 15.

The action was organized by the AIDS Center and the Ministry of Health in cooperation with NGOs Guli Surkh, RAN and Ravnyye Vozmozhnosti (Equal Opportunities) under technical support of the UNDP CO in Tajikistan and the Global Fund on the occasion of the International Candlelight Memorial.

According to the Republican AIDS Center, more than 250 people have died in Tajikistan of AIDS/HIV since 1991.  Today, 2,009 people live with HIV in Tajikistan.

To-date, the Global Fund has provided more than US$50 million for implementation of projects in Tajikistan and at least US$30 million will be provided by the Global Fund to Tajikistan in the coming two years.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (often commonly called The Global Fund or GFATM) was established in January 2002 to dramatically increase global financing for interventions against the three of the world''s most devastating diseases, and to direct those resources to areas of greatest need.  It is the largest international funder of programs to combat malaria and tuberculosis, providing two-thirds of all financing, and provides a quarter of all international funding to combat HIV/AIDS.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the main source of finance for programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 19.3 billion for more than 572 programs in 144 countries.  The Global Fund financing is enabling countries to strengthen health systems by, for example, making improvements to infrastructure and providing training to those who deliver services. The Global Fund remains committed to working in partnership to scale up the fight against the diseases and to realize its vision – a world free of the burden of AIDS, TB and malaria.