Between resentment and dependency: The Global Fund in Indonesia

Suksma Ratri
It is nine years since the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund) was first established. Since its inception, the Global Fund has become the main financier of programs to fight these diseases, with a total approved funding of US$ 21.7 billion for more than 600 programs in 150 countries throughout the world. Though the mechanism may seem flawless and ideal, it is important not to rely just on national reports to assess the Fund’s effectiveness. We also need the views of stakeholder constituents – the direct beneficiaries of the funding. Anecdotally, we hear that experiences on the ground do not match the glowing reports released by governments. An example is Indonesia, a large country consisting of over 17 thousand islands. In October 2010, reported cases of AIDS were 24,131, with 4,158 cumulative deaths. With its complex geographical structure, does the Global Fund program run smoothly and ideally in all 33 provinces of Indonesia? Does the program have great impact to the Key Affected Populations, such as injecting drug users (IDU)? Read more 


Published in:
Citizen News Service(CNS), India/Thailand
Elites TV News, California, USA 
Health Dev.net, Thailand
Aids Portal.org
Aids Space.org