Tuesday, February 4, 2003

The world knows that the President’s Plan came from me and I am briefing many people. The WH refers all questions about Project BioShield and The President’s AIDS Plan to me Got a call from Richard Feachem, President of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, congratulating me on the Plan, but expressing concern that since the USA only put $1 billion new money in the Fund over 5 years that now the other countries would be reluctant to contribute more to the fund than the USA. I told him emphatically, but in a nice way, that I disagreed. The original purpose of the Global Fund was not to replace bilateral agreements, but to complement them. Feachem is essentially saying that the other $9 billion in new money does not really count in a matching game since we did not put this in the Global Fund. Unbelievable. I have now told people. This is not about the Fund or about your particular choice of how you give money. It is about saying the lives of people in Africa and the Caribbean. Another looming problem is the Mexico City Agreement which states that Foreign NGO who counsels on abortions or who supports the performance (with funds) of abortions is not eligible for USG funding. This might make the implementation of the Plan through NGOs difficult. Also, I need to check with the US Trade Representative about the generics and breaking patents.