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HIV & STI Response Fund launched
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Posted on Oct 14 2008
With 30 million dollars from the Australian government and 7.5 million dollars from the New Zealand government over the next five years, the official launch yesterday of the Pacific Islands HIV & STI Response Fund marks a significant step forward in the region’s response to HIV and other STIs.
“Through the Response Fund, governments as well as civil society and regional and multilateral agencies will all be able to access funding,” said Dr Bun, the chair of the Pacific Islands HIV & STI Response Fund Committee. Dr Bun, in a recorded message, launched the fund on the second day of the 38th meeting of SPC’s Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CRGA).
“The purpose of the Response Fund is to support the scale up of the response to HIV and other STIs in the Pacific through an efficient, responsive, multi-donor fund that supports effective implementation of regional and national HIV & STI plans, including the capacity building needs identified in those plans.”
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) will administer and manage the funding streams and provide a secretariat function for the governance mechanism. The Response Fund Committee is tasked with the responsibility of developing policy and overseeing, on behalf of Pacific Island stakeholders and donors, the effectiveness of the implementation of projects and the effectiveness of the Response Fund mechanisms.
Dr Bun said, “The Response Fund marks another chapter in the harmonization and coordination of our efforts in the response to HIV and to the high prevalence of other STIs in the Pacific region and I would like to encourage other development partners to support this initiative.”
The guidelines and application forms to access funding will be made available on SPC’s website by beginning of November.[B][I] (SPC)[/I][/B]
