Saturday, February 5, 2011

GLOBAL FUND AGAINST ANNOUNCED A STRINGENT SET OF NEW MEASURES AIMED AT TACKLING CORRUPTION WITHIN THE FUND

THE GLOBAL FUND AGAINST AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA, AN UN-BACKED NGO, HAS ANNOUNCED A STRINGENT SET OF NEW MEASURES AIMED AT TACKLING CORRUPTION WITHIN THE FUND.
THE GLOBAL FUND, WHICH TACKLES THE THREE GREATEST KILLERS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, PREDOMINANTLY IN AFRICA, RECEIVES THE VAST MAJORITY OF ITS FUNDING FROM THE UNITED STATES, GERMANY, FRANCE AND JAPAN, BUT HAS BEEN HIT RECENTLY BY A SERIES OF CORRUPTION SCANDALS.
THE FUND HAS AN ANNUAL BUDGET OF AROUND US $22 BILLION, BUT IS FACING A CRISIS FOLLOWING A DECISION BY GERMANY TO SUSPEND ITS CONTRIBUTION UNTIL BETTER CORRUPTION SAFEGUARDS ARE PUT IN PLACE.
THE FUND HAS NOW ANNOUNCED THAT A PANEL OF INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL EXPERTS WILL BE PUT IN PLACE TO REVIEW THE FINANCIAL PROCEDURES OF THE ORGANISATION.
IN ADDITION ITS OWN INTERNAL CORRUPTION INSPECTION TEAM, WHICH HAS A PROVEN TRACK RECORD, WOULD BE DOUBLED IN SIZE.
A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE FUND INDICATED THAT THE WORST INSTANCES OF CORRUPTION HAD BEEN UNCOVERED IN MALI, MAURITANIA, DJIBOUTI AND ZAMBIA.
IN ONE INCIDENT, US $4.1 MILLION WENT MISSING FROM A PROJECT IN MAURITANIA, TWO THIRDS OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE PROJECT TO FIGHT HIV. IN DJIBOUTI, A SIMILAR PROJECT LOST US $5 MILLION DUE TO LOCAL CORRUPTION AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA REPORTS HAVE SPECULATED THAT THE TOTAL COST OF CORRUPTION MAY AMOUNT TO BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

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