Global Fund and Ukraine Signed the Agreement

Kyiv, December 19, 2011

Press-release

Global Fund and Ukraine Signed the Agreement –

Ukraine GetsUSD 86 millionfor the Fight against HIV/AIDS

On December 15, 2011, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (hereafter – the ‘Fund’) signed the agreement with Ukraine to allocate financing for the programs in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The total Ukraine’s Grant amount will beUSD 301.7 million. As of now, the GF’s guaranteed financing amounts toUSD 86 mln. for 2012-2013. The PrincipalRecipients to be in charge of the Grant implementation are the Ukrainian AIDS Center at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the ICF “International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine” and the All-Ukrainian Charitable Organization “All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV”. It is remarkable that the state-run institution is among the three Principal Recipients, which indicates the increased role and responsibility of the state in the national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine.

The GF’s Grant will be channeled into measures on prevention, treatment, care and support of people living with HIV and their significant others, the population at large. In particular, 180,000 injecting drug users, 19,000 children and teenagers from vulnerable populations, nearly 11,000 HIV-positive patients on ARV treatment, including 1,700 persons in penitentiaries, 9,600 substitution maintenance treatment patients, more than 60,000 HIV-positive people and their significant others will be covered with care and support services.

UkrainehaswontheGF’sGrantunderthe complexconditionsofthelackofinternationalresourcestofightHIV/AIDS. This vests the Government of Ukraine with the enhanced responsibility as regardsthe fulfillment of commitments to the Global Fund. “The draft law on the GF’s Grant hasn’t been considered by the Parliament yet, this year the National AIDS Program indicator on the number of substitution maintenance treatment patients will be met by 47% only, while the draft budget law for 2012 provisions ZERO for HIV/AIDS prevention activities. In order to not lose the Grant funding, such shortcomings have to be rectified immediately,” Andriy Klepikov, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine Executive Director, warned.

“Being representatives of the civil society, we hope that thanks to the received funds the healthcare system will be built up as much as to be able to finally stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine on its own, without drawing any foreign financing. Ukraine must understand that, quite possibly, it won’t get further millions in such funding,” Volodymyr Zhovtiak, the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH Coordination Council Head, noted.

Contactpersonforaccreditation: Kostiantyn Pertsovskyi, cell:050-410-92-07, e-mail: