VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGV #0111 0371324
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061324Z FEB 09
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7968
INFO RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 0031
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2935

UNCLAS GENEVA 000111 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/GAC, IO/T, OES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID KHIV SOCI TBIO
SUBJECT: CHARGE'S MEETING WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE 
GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TB AND MALARIA 
 
¶1.  Summary.  Charge paid a courtesy call February 5, 2009, 
on Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global 
Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM).  Noting 
U.S. strong support for the Fund, Charge stressed the need 
for more efficiency savings to finance the Fund's Round 8 
proposals, urged continued collaboration between the Fund and 
UNAIDS, and emphasized the importance of reports to the GFATM 
Board by the Fund's Inspector General, particularly on 
Zimbabwe.  Kazatchkine, agreeing on the importance of these 
points, said he would ask the U.S. to pledge a contribution 
to the Fund of $2.7 billion in 2010, expressed the hope the 
U.S, would attend the Fund's April pledging conference in 
Spain at a high level, and said he would visit Washington 
February 17-19, primarily for meetings with the Congress and 
private sector partners.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  In an effort to strengthen ties between the GFATM and 
U.S. Mission Geneva, the Charge, accompanied by Mission's 
Health Attache, met February 5 with GFATM Executive Director 
Kazatchkine, who was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, 
Enrico Mollica.  Kazatchkine, expressing appreciation for the 
strong support for the Fund from the United States, both 
financially and by participation in the GFATM Board and its 
committees, said he would visit Washington February 17-19 for 
meetings with the Congress and private sector partners.  He 
expressed the hope to meet also with officials of the new 
Administration responsible for issues related to the Fund, 
but understood such officials may not yet be in place. 
 
¶3.  Responding to the Charge's reference to the efficiency 
savings mandated by the GFATM Board to finance Round 8 
 
proposals, Kazatchkine said he would seek such savings at the 
level of 10% in grant negotiations in countries and would 
seek similar savings at Headquarters related to hiring and 
travel. Predicting Round 9 grant proposals at the same level 
as Round 8, he foresaw a 2010 funding gap of $3-4 billion. 
 
¶4.  Turning to the GFATM pledging conference in April in 
Spain, Kazatchkine, noting that Spanish Prime Minister 
Zapatero had agreed to open the meeting, expressed the hope 
the U.S. would be represented at a high level.  Kazatchkine 
said he would ask the U.S. to pledge a contribution of $2.7 
billion for 2010, agreeing this was an ambitious target.  He 
said his request was based both on PEPFAR's anticipated shift 
of more funding toward multilateral interventions and on the 
"ethical mortgage" donors had undertaken with respect to 
maintaining antiretroviral treatment regimens. 
 
¶5.   Kazatchkine agreed it was important for the Fund's 
Inspector General to report regularly to the GFATM Board, and 
said the IG was strengthening his office through increased 
recruitment.  He said the IG would report on regular audits 
as well as on investigations such as the possible misuse of 
resources in Zimbabwe.  He also said the IG had established a 
hotline to facilitate receiving information from 
whistleblowers. 
 
¶6.  Noting the new Memorandum of Understanding between the 
GFATM and UNAIDS, the Charge encouraged Kazatchkine to 
collaborate more closely with UNAIDS, particularly in the 
areas of technical assistance and monitoring and evaluation. 
Stressing his close ties to Michel Sidibe, the new UNAIDS 
Executive Director, Kazatchkine agreed such collaboration was 
essential. 
STORELLA