Global Fund [to 4 April 2015]
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/mediacenter/newsreleases/

01 April 2015
Global Fund Affirms Commitment to Resilient Health Systems
GENEVA – Members of the Board of the Global Fund called for accelerated efforts to build resilient health systems that can contribute to ending AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics.

At a Board meeting, several members stressed the need to support countries in strengthening health systems, at a national level and also at a community level, with the entire Global Fund partnership working together to achieve resilience and sustainability in health systems.

The German delegation pointed out the critical importance of making broader investments in health systems in order to address the health concerns of communities responding to HIV, TB and malaria.

Takeshi Osuga, Deputy Director General for International Cooperation and Global Issues in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that resilient health systems can galvanize action for many health challenges. By enacting policies that support universal health coverage, partners in global health can support efforts to transformative health systems.
There is broad recognition that the Ebola crisis in West Africa drew increased attention to the importance of health systems.

Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, former Minister of Health of Nigeria, spoke about how his country relied with great success on health systems that were built to respond to polio in combating Ebola. He also stressed the importance of community involvement and participation.

The Global Fund has been investing in health systems since its beginning, both in investments that are channelled through disease-specific grants as well as through grants that are solely on strengthening health systems.

Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund, said more than a third of the Global Fund’s investments go to strengthening health systems in the countries and communities where programs treat, prevent and care for those affected by HIV, TB and malaria. Dr. Dybul said that health systems will be best sustained and strengthened where investments are firmly anchored within communities.

At its two-day meeting which closed today, the Board also approved a framework for financing co-infections and co-morbidities of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
Dr. Nafsiah Mboi, completing a two-year term as Chair of the Board, said that the role of health systems in enabling communities to respond to their diverse and distinct health needs has never been more vital.

“The Global Fund is determined to play a robust role in strengthening health systems during the post-2015 development era,” Dr. Nafsiah Mboi said.

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Global Fund Board Selects New Chair and Vice-Chair
01 April 2015
GENEVA – The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria selected Norbert Hauser, a former Member of Parliament and international auditor from Germany, as its new Chair and also named Aida Kurtovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina as Vice-Chair. Both began serving a two-year term today.

Mr. Hauser, building upon a distinguished career in government and public service, previously served as interim Inspector General at the Global Fund in 2012-13 and as a member of the High-Level Panel that created a blueprint for reform at the Global Fund. Until 2011, he served as Vice President of Germany’s Supreme Audit Institution.

“In the changing landscape of global health, we are determined to build resilient health systems and expand our support to the people affected by the epidemics we fight,” said Mr. Hauser. “It is an honor to be able to serve the Global Fund, its Board and the people in need, working together with members of the Board of the Global Fund.”

Mr. Hauser began his career as a lawyer and prosecutor in Germany. He served in many government positions, including more than 20 years as a Member of the Council of the City of Bonn, and 15 years as District Mayor of the Borough of Bonn-Bad Godesberg. He also served as Chairman of the Panel of External Auditors of the United Nations and as External Auditor of the International Atomic Energy Agency, among other positions.

Mrs. Kurtovic served as a Board member of the Global Fund from 2012-2014, and has been involved with the Global Fund in numerous capacities, serving on Bosnia’s Country Coordinating Mechanism and on Board committees. She is Executive Director of Partnerships in Health, an organization in Sarajevo whose mission is assisting institutions to build capacity and achieve sustainable improvements in the quality of basic and essential health services, changing the lives of vulnerable populations. Partnerships in Health strongly focuses on the HIV testing, counseling and support to people living with HIV among other services.

“Like no other organization, the Global Fund has been able to mobilize, perform and deliver results in a very short period of time,” said Mrs. Kurtovic. “We have to sustain those gains and expand our support even more.”

The handover of Board leadership came at the close of a meeting of the Global Fund Board, as Dr. Nafsiah Mboi, former Minister of Health of Indonesia, completed a two-year term as Chair of the Board. Mireille Guigaz, former French Ambassador for the fight against HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases, completed a two-year term as Vice-Chair.
During that time, the Global Fund successfully engineered a significant change in its core business by launching a new approach to funding that is geared to increasing impact of programs in countries fighting HIV, TB and malaria.