Global Fund faces corruption charges

By Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D. | January 25, 2011

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria was stung with charges of a massive corruption scandal yesterday. A “$21.7 billion health fund championed by the rich and famous has come under harsh scrutiny amid revelations it’s bleeding money to corruption,” AP reported.

Population activists are watching developments closely. They are pushing to hitch their campaign to the more popular, and more prosperous, AIDS agenda. Last year, the Obama administration folded the Bush era PEPFAR program to fight AIDS into its $63B Global Health Initiative and added reproductive health which Secretary of State Clinton said she interpreted to include abortion.

One outcome from this week’s scandal should be more scrutiny on the part of donor nations, especially the U.S. Congress, over the new UN Maternal Health Accountability commission which is overseeing a $40B fund for maternal health.

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