Because of preconceptions about his HIV-positive status, Joseph (center) suffered abuse even from his own family. A peer support group of others living with HIV stepped in, and visits by members of the NGO "CHECHE People Living with HIV/AIDS Network" helped his family to understand that being HIV-positive is not a death sentence. The abuse stopped and one brother offered his "tukul", or home, to Joseph so he would no longer have to sleep in a hut with holes in the roof.

For more information about Global Fund photos, please e-mail: photos@theglobalfund.org.

Copyright: The Global Fund / John Rae.

Shift to Thrift

The World Health Assembly is a terrifically large gathering of global health officials from all of the World Health Organization’s 194 member states (which sounds like, and is, a lot of countries). For some staff at the Global Fund, the Assembly is a good venue to meet in person and discuss pressing issues with Health Ministers and other officials, who are our closest partners in implementing grants all over the world. Yet the gathering is also a time when everyone who cares about global health can consider broad trends that are raised by knowledgeable colleagues. WHO Director–General Margaret Chan had one primary piece of advice for her fellow health colleagues. “First, get back to the basics,” she told the gathering. “Shift to thrift,” was Chan’s message. For her, that means concentrating on efficiency and innovation. “Innovation does the most good when it responds to societal concerns and needs, and not just to the prospects of making a profit,” she said. “These days, the true genius of innovation resides in simplicity,” she added. “This is not rocket science. This is frugal, strategic innovation that sets out to develop a game-changing intervention, and makes ease of use and affordable price explicit objectives.” At the Global Fund, we are fully aligned with that view.  

Who Should Lead the Global Fund?

A meeting of the Board of the Global Fund in early May launched a selection process for choosing a new Executive Director. “This is probably one of the most strategic things we will do as a Board,” said Simon Bland, Board Chair, as he opened discussion of the topic. After lengthy consideration, the Board chose six people for a nominations committee, and decided that three additional independent members will join the committee as well. The committee will evaluate any candidates for the position, and will then narrow the field down to a shortlist of up to four candidates, to be considered by the entire Board. A key moment occurred when Mireille Guigaz, who represents France on the Board and who is one of six members chosen for the nominations committee, argued persuasively that the Board insist the short list include as many women as men. “If we do not firmly say that we will be able to find women, if we don’t say that openly, we will not get the result that we want,” she said. An alternate suggestion was that the committee produce “at least one woman” on the shortlist, while keeping open the possibility of two. Non, said Mireille. “We know how women are absolutely fundamental in the success of health initiatives,” she said firmly. “We have to be exemplary.” The Board agreed, and specified that the shortlist must include as many women as men. The nominations committee began work right away, and a decision is expected before the end of the year.

Profile: Michael Byrne, Grant Management’s Head of the “High Impact Africa I” Department

A big element in the recent reorganization at the Global Fund was creating three “High Impact” departments that can bring new focus to grant management in the countries with the greatest disease burden, where careful investment can save the most lives. Michael Byrne, a 20-year veteran of development work in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, was promoted to head “High Impact Africa I” in the Grant Management division. In his new role, Michael oversees the teams working on grant management in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Sudan. That is a very large, critically-important portfolio. It takes some guts to accept that kind of responsibility. How well Michael does his job will determine how well grants can affect the lives and well-being of countless people, as well as their families and their communities. In person, Michael does not seem daunted by the challenge. He appears calm, speaks softly, and is highly focused on the tasks at hand. He seems to embody the hard truth that success on the ground, in implementing grants effectively, takes hard work on several levels. In his previous position, Michael managed the Local Fund Agent team at the Global Fund, and his main responsibility was to reform the work of the Local Fund Agents in countries in step with the Global Fund’s information and risk requirements for quality decisions. He supervised the team’s expansion in the area of risk management and fraud identification. Before coming to the Global Fund four years ago, Michael worked for 20 years on international development with experience working with non-governmental organizations and bilateral assistance, as well as with the European Commission. He also worked in the private sector in Ireland and Italy and has a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD, France. Originally from Ireland, Michael has two children, aged 4 and 5. When he is not working, or traveling on-site in Africa, he enjoys spending time in the mountains, telemarking (a type of Nordic skiing) in winter, and hiking in summer.

Global Fund Seeking Talent

And by the way, as part of the Global Fund’s process of strengthening grant management, the organization will be actively seeking and hiring talented and experienced staff in the coming months. There are a significant number of positions for program officers and other staff in our Grant Management division and in our Strategy/Impact department and also in Resource Mobilization and Donor Relations. The Global Fund has a highly diverse workforce, both in terms of the countries where our staff members were born (at last count, we have 94 different nationalities) and also in a great variety of work experience, not to mention languages spoken. We are determined to keep and to constantly expand the diversity of our ranks. Our main goal is to hire talented and highly motivated people, so we can have the best-quality staff possible. Yet we want to take this moment to encourage potential job candidates from developing countries to apply. Since we are located in Geneva, and do not have any “in country” offices, we naturally get more applicants from Europe than anywhere else. We want to do whatever we can to find talent from Africa and Asia. Please visit the “Employment” section of our website for more information about existing vacancies – this page is updated frequently: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/employment/

What We’re Reading

We enjoyed reading a blog post written by a doctor working with HIV and AIDS patients in Kenya named Bob Carter. Appearing last week on the Huffington Post, his piece gives some insights into the realities of the people on the front lines in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and the impact that programs supported by us are having on the ground. Bob Carter has spent more than 27 years working in Africa and has witnessed the AIDS pandemic unfold in the most real sense. He makes a good case for why the G8 and other donor nations need to keep funding efforts to fight AIDS.

You can read the full blog post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-carter-md/world-leaders-must-keep-commitment_b_1511084.html

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With support from the Global Fund, outreach 'volunteers' in favelas near Rio de Janeiro visit members of their communities who show signs of having TB, and help them get treatment. Education and efforts to counter stigma against TB and HIV are also an important part of their work. As Luciano Angelo, Administrator of the program says "..They know but they dont talk about it. If they dont talk, they dont get treatment, and if they dont get treatment the disease will kill them."

In Ukraine, Global Fund-supported efforts to prevent HIV among street children have increased significantly over the last years. Between 2007 and 2011, more than 54000 children were reached by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine. Among the services offered are HIV-testing, counseling, referral to clinics and distribution of condoms.

For more information about Global Fund photos, please e-mail: photos@theglobalfund.org.

Copyright: The Global Fund / Efrem Lukatsky.

Global Fund Board Chair Simon Bland recaps the 26th Board Meeting in Geneva by saying “[continued from video]…This is a really exciting moment for the Global Fund. We’ve had six months where we’ve been going through an incredible transformation, reorganizing this Fund to deliver, and now we recognize that we do have resources at our disposal, to really accelerate implementation of an ambitious new strategy. This strategy is going to dictate the way we do business. We’re going to have new models of implementation at the country level, and we have enough funds now to really get cracking with the development of those new models.

We’re going to bring the Board of the Global Fund together again in September—earlier than we’d imagined— to really accelerate the implementation of this strategy. And millions of people’s lives will be positively affected as a result.

Board members came to this meeting I think really quite excited. Clearly from the Board conversations and the decisions we’ve taken today, they have the confidence in the management, they have the confidence in the reorganization, they have the confidence in the resources, and they’re not letting off the pressure to move as quickly as we possibly can to implement this incredibly exciting new strategy…”

Available Funding

We start with a piece of very good news: a financial forecast by the Global Fund surprised everyone by finding that about $1.6 billion in additional funding will be available in the 2012-14 period for investment in projects that save lives. There were many factors that piled up on the plus side of the ledger, but most of the reasons grew out of tough choices that the Board made last year. A back-to-basics approach, focusing on the core business of managing grants, with common sense management, has created a situation where good things happen. Many of our friends noticed. Some got more generous. Others found they could speed up existing plans to make a donation. Still others jumped in for the first time. What the new forecast means is that in addition to the $616 million in funding for existing programs, known in Global Fund-speak as the 'Transitional Funding Mechanism,' there is another billion dollars for new grants. This has no effect on the $7 billion in grants that were already approved and scheduled to be disbursed over the next 18 months or so. But it means we can now help fund new projects that are designed to meet the most pressing need for service. Our mission statement sums it up best: We are investing the world's money, to save lives.

Transformation in 90 Days

Gabriel Jaramillo, who became General Manager in February, 2012, reported to the Board of the Global Fund at its meeting today about the transformation he has led in his 90 days on the job. The place is not really the same as it was before he arrived. A full 245 jobs were eliminated. And 189 new positions were created, almost all in grant management. Net-net, it's only an 8 percent drop. But inside the building, it felt like an earthquake. Now that the aftershocks have died down, the change is evident. It's all about grant management. The division reset its priorities, with three 'High Impact' teams that concentrate on the countries with most of the disease burden, meaning the ones that require the most intensive work. Two other teams concentrate on smaller countries so every region gets the attention it needs. A reorganization like this can create more cohesion, by breaking down internal barriers. Plus, new executive committees make for better oversight and course correction. Jaramillo's approach is that common sense rules.

Monitoring & Evaluation System Country Profile Tool

About a year ago, Monitoring & Evaluation Country Profiles were approved as a mechanism for reviewing M&E capacities at the time of grant negotiation to identify M&E risks, and to follow-up on risk mitigation measures. The Tool is designed to provide comprehensive and strategic information and has three parts: National M&E System - Health Sector; National M&E System - Disease program; and Principal Recipient M&E processes and capacity. M&E country profiles are completed by the Local Fund Agent (LFA) based on a review of relevant M&E documents, in consultation with in country partners.

Still reading this far? You must need to know more. A complete set of information about the M&E System Country Profile Tool is available on our website at: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/me/documents/countryprofiletool/ 

Profile: Cees Klumper

One of the newest staff members at the Global Fund is Cees Klumper, who became Chief Risk Officer on 16 April 2012. This is a newly-created position that will achieve one of the new goals at the organization, to more fully embed the risk management function at the organization. Unexpected things happen every day, and anticipating potential problems and taking quick action when they appear on the horizon is essential. Cees, whose first name is pronounced 'CASE,' is a financial expert who trained as an auditor and has seen and taken part in transforming financial controls in particularly challenging conditions. "I've been impressed with the speed and quality of the changes being implemented," Cees said when we asked him about his first weeks at the Global Fund. Cees is a problem solver by nature. It's not a hard prediction to say that he will likely have plenty to keep him busy in his new job. Cees's last position was Director of Internal Audit at the GAVI Alliance. Cees is a native of the Netherlands. He is a Dutch Chartered Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor, and also holds a Master of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University.

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A commercial sex worker in Guatemala City uses condoms provided for free by outreach programs to prevent the spread of HIV. In countries where the HIV and AIDS epidemic is not generalized, but rather is concentrated in groups which are highly at risk, Global Fund supported programs target these ‘most-at-risk populations’, as well as people living with the disease.

The Global Fund is celebrating 10 years of impact in fighting the three diseases. We look back at a decade of images showing the lives affected and saved by the Global Fund and its partners.

Copyright: The Global Fund / John Rae.

In Jordan, Egyptian-born Shehdeh (right) received medication after being diagnosed with TB. Although TB treatment normally requires a six month course, Shehdeh felt better after three months and decided to stop his treatment. Not long after that he got ill again, this time severely. With treatment and support from community health worker Maria (left), he resumed treatment. Maria monitors his progress through frequent phone calls and home visits to Shehdeh, his wife and youngest child.

The Global Fund is celebrating 10 years of impact in fighting the three diseases. We look back at a decade of images showing the lives affected and saved by the Global Fund and its partners.

Copyright: The Global Fund / John Rae.

General Manager Gabriel Jaramillo met with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday, 24 April, to inform the Secretary General about changes at the Global Fund, and to ask for cooperation in fighting global diseases.

The Secretary General commented that the world has “very high expectations for your managerial leadership” and congratulated Mr. Jaramillo for his success so far.

Mr. Jaramillo and the Secretary-General’s discussed initiatives on joint cooperation in the coming year, as well as strategy for informing and engaging all partners about common needs and goals of the Global Fund.

In the past few years, many countries have carried out dramatic efforts to increase prevention interventions against malaria. Through Global Fund-supported programs, 230 million insecticide-treated nets were distributed to protect families against this deadly disease. 

However, a lot more needs to be done if we are to reach international targets to reduce the burden of disease to a level at which malaria is no longer a public health problem in most countries where it has been endemic.

This year, on 25th April, we are celebrating World Malaria Day under the theme “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria”. Continued investment in effective malaria control is critical to safeguard the gains that have been achieved over the past decade. Studies have confirmed that investments made by major funders such as the Global Fund have rapidly decreased the burden of malaria. 

But we do not only have to sustain the gains that have been made, we also need to improve the level of sophistication of malaria testing, treatment and tracking of patients. Global Fund- supported programs need to focus on increasing the quality of interventions so that appropriate diagnosis and treatment are carried out, to avoid for example, the common problem of diagnosing any fever as malaria. 

Another immediate challenge on the horizon is the need to replace millions of insecticide-treated nets that were provided through Global Fund-supported programs in 2008 and 2009 and will soon wear out.

In a difficult economic environment, we need to ensure that investments are used efficiently. The Global Fund is entering into iterative discussions with countries in order to lay out detailed plans and improve the quality of their malaria programs.

We are at a crucial inflection point. The global economic crisis has led to pressures on international health spending at precisely the moment when we need to increase investments. If adequate resources are not raised, it will raise serious doubts as to whether the gains in malaria mortality reduction can be built on or even sustained. 

The world must re-commit to a new effort. It is when times are hard that real solidarity must be shown. Continued increased investments in fighting malaria are more important now, at a time of financial crisis, than ever.

5 year old Ronnie was facing death after being infected with malaria. She was brought to Papua New Guinea’s Vanimo hospital one hour from her village. In Papua New Guinea, Ronnie’s battle with malaria is far too common of a story with the entire population at risk of being infected.
With our partners, we’re working hard to help the people of Papua New Guinea win the fight against malaria so people like Ronnie don’t need to fear death from a mosquito bite.

On questions about how change will affect the Global Fund's standing with donors, the General Manager of the Global Fund is optimistic and positive. Positive signs from Spain, Germany, Japan and the Gates Foundation are all encouraging. The International Development Committee hearing also showed positive signs. Secretary Andrew Mitchell reaffirmed the United Kingdom's commitments and support.

Read the complete article on the Guardian.

Anti-malaria outreach efforts in rural Nigeria reach nomadic villages deep in the bush, providing insecticide-treated nets, as well as treatment to pregnant women. 

Copyright: The Global Fund / John Rae. 

Scouts from Bhutanese town of Gelephu visit neighboring villages to help the local community with malaria prevention measures. One important activity is eliminating places where mosquitoes lay their eggs such as rain water collection barrels.

Malaria is a major public health concern in Bhutan, affecting more than 70 percent of the country’s population. The goal of the Global Fund-program implemented by the “Gross National Happiness Commission” is to help reduce malaria-related sickness and death in the country by 2013.

Copyright: The Global Fund / John Rae. 

Mr Jaramillo told the Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, that improving the grant management processes and strengthening financial oversight will be his priorities.

You can read the complete interview in English and Spanish.

A health worker talks to members of the Batak tribe in a remote area of the Philippines, where testing of 49 villagers resulted in seven confirmed cases of malaria. Still, according to the locals malaria rates are down significantly in recent years because of quicker diagnosis and distribtion of mosquito nets. The Global Fund supports the project with involvement of the private sector and local authorities.

Copyright: The Global Fund / John Rae. 

In Masaka, Uganda, teenage girls orphaned by AIDS learn hair styling techniques that will allow them to earn a living. After apprenticing with a master artisan hair stylist, they are encouraged to open their own shops.
Copyright: The Global Fund / Jamie Rose

Penyambeko was so weak that she was unable to move before she started taking AIDS treatment. Her mother fed her and gave her medicine until she was strong enough to walk again. Penyambeko was soon able to assist her mother with work in the fields. Enlisting family and relatives is part of a Global Fund-supported strategy in Namibia to help community members take their daily medicine.

Copyright: The Global Fund / Guy Stubbs 

A young girl plays with her pet parrot in her home on the outskirts of the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara. Malaria is a fact of life in her household of 15, where everyone has suffered from the disease during the last year, in some cases as frequently as once every month. The house was being prepared to be sprayed to protect the family against mosquitoes, part of a broad program of preventive measures supported by the Global Fund on the South Pacific Island.

Copyright: The Global Fund / John Rae 

Hosted by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and the Global Fund’s Outgoing Executive Director Prof. Michel Kazatchkine, the evening brought together an invited audience of partners and friends from across the country. In no small way the performance was dedicated to them for their work in fighting AIDS, TB and malaria with the Global Fund over the past decade.

La Bohème will play in Cape Town until March 10th, when the Isango Ensemble will hit the road to London for a series of performances at Hackney Empire in May.  With the exception of one performance, all shows in Cape Town are completely sold out, so if you’re looking forward to catching Puccini’s classic like you’ve never seen before in London,  hurry and get your tickets now!  

Outgoing Global Fund Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine meets Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu at the World Premiere of Isango’s La Bohème – Abanxaxhi in Cape Town, South Africa. In the background is Prof. Nulda Beyers, director of the Desmond Tutu TB Center.© The Global Fund / Jonx Pillemer 

Music Director Mandisi Dyantyis (middle) with other cast of the Isango Ensemble at the World Premiere of Isango’s La Bohème – Abanxaxhi in Cape Town, South Africa. © The Global Fund / Jonx Pillemer 

A mother dresses her child while waiting for a consultation at the HIV clinic of Temeke Hospital, Tanzania. In a country with an estimated 1.4 million people living with HIV, the goal of Global Fund-supported programs is not only to stop the further spread of the disease, but also to improve the quality of life of those already infected.

Copyright: The Global Fund / Jonx Pillemer 

Today, we are proud to announce a partnership that will bring an extraordinary version of La Bohème to theatres and opera houses around the world. Together with Isango Ensemble, the internationally renowned South African theatre company whose artists are drawn from the country’s townships, we have formed a unique partnership.

Isango’s version, entitled La Bohème - Abanxaxhi (the Xhosa language translation) moves the setting of Puccini’s classic from the garrets of mid-nineteenth century Paris to the townships of contemporary Africa, with the score played on marimbas and steel pans.

At the heart of the opera’s love story is the death of the heroine Mimi. She dies from tuberculosis – a mass killer more than 150 years ago when Puccini set the original opera and a mass killer today in South Africa and many other parts of the developing world.

Isango Ensemble’s cast brings new meaning and relevance to their version given their immediate experience of TB in their township communities.

Isango’s La Bohème in partnership with the Global Fund premiers next Thursday, February 23rd, in Cape Town, and will soon thereafter hit the road to Europe beginning with a series of performances at London’s iconic Hackney Empire theatre in May.

While you’re waiting for La Bohème’s curtain to rise at a theatre or opera house near you, you can watch this sneak preview of Isango Ensemble rehearsing in Cape Town and we will have much more to share with you in the coming weeks.

A sneak preview of Isango Ensemble rehearsing Puccini's La Bohème in Cape Town before the World Premiere, February 2012.   

More information can be found here: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/laboheme/ 

A Global Fund-supported program enables cafeterias in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to provide daily hot lunches to patients receiving TB treatment. 

Copyright: The Global Fund / Benjamin Bechet 

The meeting was opened by Michèle Barzach, former Minister of Health of France and current Chair of Friends of the Global Fund Europe. Prof. Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund, explained how the Global Fund has transformed the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in the ten years of its existence.

Over 200 participants attended the gathering, which included a roundtable discussion with, Awa Coll-Seck (Executive Director of Roll Back Malaria),  Joanne Carter (Executive Director of RESULTS) Michel Sidibé (Executive Director of UNAIDS), and Dorothee Kinde Gazard (Health Minister of Benin). A debate moderated by Alison Smale, Chief Executive Director of the International Herald Tribune, discussed the Global Fund as a European idea for international health governance.

The meetings were followed by the lightening of the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde in Paris in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Global Fund. It is the first time that this famous Parisian monument located at the heart of historical Paris has been lit with the colors of an organization.

Parisians and tourists will be able to see the obelisk lit with the colors of the Global Fund logo - red, blue and yellow - every night for a week.

The Global Fund also received the support of the International Herald Tribune, which published a special two-page color supplement in yesterday’s edition, with the sponsorship of the house of Dior.

Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde in Paris overlaid with the Global Fund colors in commemoration of the organization’s 10th anniversary 

Prof. Michel Kazatchkine explains how the Global Fund has transformed the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in the ten years of its existence 

High Level roundtable. L-R: Joanne CARTER, Executive Director, Results; Dorothée KINDE GAZARD, Health Minister of Benin; Michèle BARZACH, former Health Minister of the French Republic, Chair of Friends of the Global Fund Europe; Awa COLL SECK, former Health Minister of Senegal, Executive Director, Roll Back Malaria Partnership; Prof. Michel KAZATCHKINE, Executive Director of the Global Fund; Michel SIDIBE, Executive Director, UNAIDS 

Over 200 participants attended the event  

But Bill Gates is not alone in voicing his support for the Global Fund during our 10th anniversary. These portraits, taken by award-winning photographer Adrian Steirn, are of some of our closest friends, who have come together, along with people from all across the globe who have submitted their own photos, to celebrate 10 years of Global Fund impact, by showing their personal wish for the fight against the three diseases.

You can join them and submit your own photo here: http://onemillion.theglobalfund.org/submit-your-photo 

Much more to come soon!

Zackie Achmat, founder and former chair, Treatment Action Campaign

Former United Kingdom Prime Minister, Tony Blair

Bono, lead singer U2, co-founder (RED), ONE

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Former Prime Minister of Norway / former Director General of World Health Organization

Global Fund Board Member, Milly Katana

Former Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshiro Mori

Vice Chair of the Global Fund Board, Mphu Ramatlapeng

Jeffrey Sachs

Mr. Gates couldn’t have stated it any better: "These are tough economic times, but that is no excuse for cutting aid to the world's poorest. The Global Fund is one of the most effective ways we invest our money every year."

We are truly thankful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their continued commitment to global health and the Global Fund.

And to continue our 10^th anniversary celebration, we have launched today a powerful short film created by award-winning photographer and filmmaker Adrian Steirn, which includes international figures who played a major role in the Global Fund’s first ten years.

Filmed on four continents, the film includes Zackie Achmat, Tony Blair, Bono, Bill Clinton, Gro-Harlem Brundtland, Bill Gates, Dr Milly Katana, Mphu Ramatlapeng, Jeffrey Sachs and Yoshiro Mori.  

Do not miss the opportunity to watch it and share it from our Global Fund YouTube page.

HIV transmission rates are falling in nearly every region, including the worst-affected countries. Where treatment is available, the death rate is also falling. The prevalence of all TB cases is falling, along with mortality rates among HIV-negative TB cases. We are now approaching universal access to insecticide-treated nets in Africa to prevent malaria.

The Global Fund has played a central role in this turnaround. The Global Fund is providing nearly a quarter of all international funding to fight AIDS, two-thirds of the funding against malaria and more than four-fifths of all funding to fight TB.

Despite the important progress made, the world now faces some hard decisions: as more and more rich or emerging-economy countries focus on weathering the global economic slowdown, will they sacrifice the global health targets that are now within reach? Will we have to give up the hope of ensuring that no child is born with HIV? Or that no one will need to die from malaria? Or that we eventually can ensure that all who need it will have access to AIDS drugs or effective TB drugs?

Spending on global health has declined over the past two years, after nearly ten years of dramatic growth. The Global Fund had to announce late last year that - while we will disburse US$ 10 billion between 2011 and 2013 - we will not be able to expand our funding further, because some countries have already signalled that they will not be able to contribute as much as before - while others are trying but may also need to reduce their funding in the future. We are working hard to change this – alongside our partners and with the strong voices of committed activists, so we can secure up to US$2 billion additional funding by 2013 and enable recipients to launch new programs.

Several government leaders are still fully committed to continuing the progress and sticking to continued large investments in global health - despite hardship at home. But they cannot be expected to compensate for other countries. And then there are the new, emerging powers; it is increasingly in their interest to play a more central role also in the global work for common goals and common gain. Will that mean they will take on a larger share of the costs to achieve such gains?

The Global Fund is changing to meet the new challenges of our second decade. Our focus is shifting from an emergency response to sustainable and efficient channel for funding to fight AIDS, TB and malaria. This means important changes in structure, functioning and management. In November 2010, the Global Fund’s Board approved a transformation plan and has now appointed Gabriel Jaramillo, an experienced manager of complex change processes, as its General Manager to oversee the implementation of this plan. In parallel, our Executive Director of the past five years, Michel Kazatchkine, has decided to step down. (See also Le Monde blog).

Change brings uncertainty, but it also brings hope, as it can be seen as an opportunity to improve and to save more lives every day.

This week the Global Fund celebrates its 10th anniversary. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has just announced that it will provide an additiona US$750 million to the Global Fund. This is fantastic news.

We have never been so close to achieving dramatic health goals.

Together we can do great things.

P.S. We have also launched an exciting video that you should not miss. Watch this space tomorrow for more news.

That's what the lineup of faces appearing onstage at our 10th anniversary celebration could look like. All we need is your photo.

This Thursday, the Global Fund will mark ten years of impact in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Thanks to the tireless work of the hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers we support in 150 countries and to the drugs, anti-malaria nets and medical equipment we finance, the world has made amazing, life-saving advances. We're looking forward to the next ten years, and to meeting the challenges ahead.

It's been an incredible decade. In just ten years, the programs the Global Fund supports around the world have provided financing for life-saving AIDS treatment to 3.3 million people, treatment for 8.6 million cases of tuberculosis, 230 million insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria, treated 1.3 million HIV-positive women to prevent the transmission of the virus to their babies, and much more.

Now we’re asking our supporters for help: For our 10th anniversary we're putting together a giant collage of photos of people who are involved in the struggle against epidemic diseases, including some of the world's leaders, and we want you alongside of them. The more people we can see, the better we can show that we have a global movement for change.

All you need to do is to take a photo of yourself, like the one above, and submit it to us here so we can feature you alongside Bill Gates and Bono.

With your on-going support, we are confident that we can achieve goals like seeing the birth of an HIV-free generation starting in 2015.

Here's to another decade of change!

Join us here: http://onemillion.theglobalfund.org/submit-your-photo.

The updated design aims to improve the look and feel and functionality of our web site, with more changes to come in the weeks ahead.

As of today, the Global Fund web site will maintain a blog where you can find information we view as useful or interesting for our audience. The blog can be accessed via the Blog menu in the main navigation menu or via the RSS feed. You can expect to find content related to our work as well as our partners’ activities. We would be happy to hear about your feedback and comments to help us further improve the Global Fund's web site.

Email us at website@theglobalfund.org.