http://action.ehclients.com/ en bhinderliter@results.org Copyright 2012 2012-04-16T21:12:50+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2306/ http://qa.action.org/site/dr._jim_yong_kim_elected_as_president_of_the_world_bank/#When:20:12:50Z On Monday, April 16, 2012, the Executive Board of the World Bank Group named Dr. Jim Yong Kim as its next president. Dr. Kim will assume the role on July 1, succeeding the Bank’s current president, Robert Zoellick. ACTION Director Kolleen Bouchane issued the following statement in response.  On Monday, April 16, 2012, the Executive Board of the World Bank Group named Dr. Jim Yong Kim as its next president. Dr. Kim will assume the role on July 1, succeeding the Bank’s current president, Robert Zoellick. ACTION Director Kolleen Bouchane issued the following statement in response. Congratulations to Dr. Kim for being selected as the next president of the World Bank Group. The World Bank is the world’s largest international development institution. The job is among the most important — and the most challenging — in the international development arena. As an individual who has dedicated his life to improving the wellbeing of poor communities around the world, Dr. Kim has the right leadership qualities and experience to succeed in the role. Dr. Kim’s trailblazing work at Partners in Health and the World Health Organization, where he proved that it was feasible to deliver world-class healthcare to impoverished communities in the most neglected and least developed places on the planet, demonstrates that he has both the vision and the drive to lead the Bank in this critical moment. His pioneering research in delivery science shows that he will focus the Bank’s efforts on those activities that will deliver the greatest and most enduring impact. With Dr. Kim’s appointment, today will no doubt be looked back upon as a landmark day in the long fight against extreme poverty. ACTION wishes him the best of success and stands ready to assist him in our capacity as advocates for global health.   Press Releases 2012-04-16T20:12:50+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2301/ http://qa.action.org/site/action_celebrates_nomination_of_dr._jim_kim_to_head_the_world_bank/#When:21:00:02Z ACTION is thrilled with the nomination of Dr. Jim Yong Kim to head the World Bank. Jim Kim possesses a deep commitment to addressing the political, social, and economic barriers to a more equitable and humane world.   ACTION is thrilled with the nomination of Dr. Jim Yong Kim to head the World Bank. Jim Kim possesses a deep commitment to addressing the political, social, and economic barriers to a more equitable and humane world.  With over two decades of experience serving the poor in developing countries, and with a powerful record of taking life-saving health strategies to scale, Jim Kim is uniquely well suited to lead the World Bank to deliver on its stated mission of lifting people out of poverty. Jim Kim a physician and anthropologist, was co-founder of Partners in Health a non-profit health care organization committed to providing community based health care, which has served more than 2.4 million people around the world.[1] In 2004 Kim directed the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS department and led the “3x5” initiative, which set the bold target of putting three million people on AIDS anti-retroviral treatment by the end of 2005. Critics said it was impossible to expand treatment to millions of people in only a few years, but Kim maintained, “We need to bring a sense of urgency that matches the devastation of the epidemics that we face.”[2] In no small part, because of Kim’s early and visionary leadership, 6.6 million people in developing countries now have access to life-saving treatment.  Kim clearly shares ACTION’s vision for global health equity - perhaps the most critical element to achieving the World Bank’s mission to reduce global poverty. Kim is also well known for his contributions to fighting tuberculosis, demonstrating that quality, life-saving treatment could be effectively delivered in resource poor settings. As we approach World TB Day - with proven TB treatment and powerful new tools still under-resourced, and millions still suffering needlessly from a curable disease - ACTION welcomes the opportunity to have such a visionary leader to help tackle the most important challenges of our time.   [1] Partners in Health 2011 Annual Report p.4 http://parthealth.3cdn.net/283c794b2e83589919_b4m62spy6.pdf [2] http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/now-archive/mar17/     2012-03-23T21:00:02+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2300/ http://qa.action.org/site/this_world_tb_day_global_fund_emergency_donor_meeting_critical_for_con/#When:15:45:33Z March 22, 2012 - This World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, ACTION partners around the world will commemorate the day with their attention fixed squarely on world leaders and the need to end the funding crisis of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.  March 22, 2012 - This World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, ACTION partners around the world will commemorate the day with their attention fixed squarely on world leaders and the need to end the funding crisis of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. ACTION partner organizations and global health advocates from around the world have been calling for an emergency donor meeting ever since the Global Fund Board decided to cancel the next round of funding (Round 11) last November. The G20 Summit in Mexico in June could provide an important opportunity for the Global Fund’s existing and new potential donors to convene and recommit to mobilizing sufficient resources for countries to maintain and scale up services.  For nearly a decade ACTION partners and allies have been working together to raise attention to the global TB epidemic. Our awareness raising on the problems of and solutions to TB has always included our moral outrage that a preventable and curable disease still takes the lives of nearly 2 million people each year. As Congressman Engel from New York noted Tuesday in a Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill, “The fact that we have not eliminated TB yet is a sin.” Never has the outrage of ACTION organizations and other global health advocates been so strong as in the months since the November cancellation of the next round of funding for the Global Fund.  “We would like World TB Day to be an annual celebration of progress,” notes ACTION Director Kolleen Bouchane. “However, the increasing fragility of continued progress makes such celebration difficult. Instead, organizations in the ACTION partnership continue to press their leaders to end the Global Fund’s funding crisis and to change the conversation from the limits of resources to what we can be doing to actually end these diseases.” CITAM+, ACTION’S PARTNER in Zambia, reports that the impact on people living with TB-HIV could be devastating. In Zambia approximately 80 percent of people with TB are coinfected with HIV. In 2010 alone more than 45,000 Zambians were infected with TB[1], an airborne killer that does not discriminate.  Though Zambia made progress in their TB-HIV response, with 39 percent of co-infected patients receiving treatment, this will be greatly hampered when the country’s Global Fund TB grant comes to an end in June 2013.[2] Patients currently on treatment are at risk, and Zambia will not be able to diagnose and treat more people or scale up preventative therapy.  Carol Nyirenda, Executive Director of CITAM+ noted that “Community organizations in Zambia that play a critical role in the disease response are at risk of closing, leaving thousands without treatment or support services and many without jobs. Hospices that care for HIV+ people will completely shut down without the Global Fund, leaving people literally without the care they have come to depend on. Community health care workers, who help people adhere to treatment and provide support will also be gone. This will increase the risk for drug resistance for people who are currently being treated.”  In total, more than 10,000 TB patients and more than 130,000 HIV patients are at risk in Zambia due to the Global Fund funding crisis.[3] And that is just one country.  But there is some progress. Tuesday, in the same Capitol Hill briefing as Representative Engel, Dr. Mario Raviglione of the Stop TB Department at the World Health Organization affirmed that our “next TB target should be zero,” and in recent months key donors such as the U.S., UK, Japan, Germany, and Spain have expressed renewed interest in convening to reconfirm their existing pledges and make new commitments to the Global Fund. Without this meeting and a new funding opportunity, it is unclear how disaster can be averted in countries like Zambia.  This World TB Day, we need to be reminded that zero deaths from TB, the largest killer of those with HIV/AIDS, is within the limits of science. The limits ACTION partner organizations and others continue to push are those of political will and resources. We need to acknowledge the science, change the conversation, eliminate the global health inequities, and save more lives. We need to fund the largest funder or TB programs, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. [1] Unpublished dates STOP TB partnership www.stoptb.org [2] Ibid [3] International HIV/AIDS Alliance (2012). Don’t Stop Now: How Underfunding the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Impacts the HIV response. < http://www.aidsalliance.org/includes/Publication/Alliance%20global%20fund%20report_V6.pdf>   TB in the News 2012-03-22T15:45:33+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2296/ http://qa.action.org/site/global_fund_welcomes_340_million_contribution_by_japan/#When:16:22:57Z   Geneva – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today welcomed a $340 million contribution by Japan, the highest amount that Japan has ever made in 10 years of vigorous support for the Global Fund. Japan is now making its first payment of US$ 216 million for its 2012 contribution.    13 March 2012  Highest Contribution Ever Made by Japan, Leading Supporter of the Global Fund  Geneva - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today welcomed a $340 million contribution by Japan, the highest amount that Japan has ever made in 10 years of vigorous support for the Global Fund. Japan is now making its first payment of US$ 216 million for its 2012 contribution. “Japan has always been a leader in the fight against disease, but this is a great vote of confidence in our commitment to saving lives,” said Gabriel Jaramillo, General Manager of the Global Fund. “We recognize Japan’s determination to see real advances in global health, and we are equally determined to deliver.” This new contribution represents a significant increase over Japan’s previous highest contribution of US$ 246 million in 2010. In 2011, Japan’s contribution was reduced to US $114 million following the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeast Japan in March of last year, but this new contribution demonstrates that Japan’s commitment to the Global Fund remains steadfast. Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Japan would contribute US $340 million as part of its pledge of US$ 800 million to the Global Fund  announced at the third Replenishment Conference in 2010. Japan’s leadership in the Global Fund began when a summit of G8 nations called for the creation of such a global financing organization in 2000 in Okinawa, Japan. The contribution received this week raises Japan’s contributions to the Global Fund to more than US$ 1.6 billion since its creation in 2002.   ***** The Global Fund is a unique, public-private partnership and international financing institution dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents an innovative approach to international health financing. The Global Fund’s model is based on the concepts of country ownership and performance-based funding, which means that people in countries implement their own programs based on their priorities and the Global Fund provides financing on the condition that verifiable results are achieved.  Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the main financier of programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 22.6 billion for more than 1,000 programs in 150 countries (as of 1 December 2011). To date, programs supported by the Global Fund are providing AIDS treatment for 3.3 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 8.6 million people and 230 million insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts in dealing with the three diseases.   For more information, please contact:   ANDREW HURST Acting Communications Director Mobile: +41 79 561 6807 E-mail: andrew.hurst@theglobalfund.org   Press Releases 2012-03-13T16:22:57+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2293/ http://qa.action.org/site/fund_to_fight_key_diseases_running_low/#When:14:48:31Z Providence JournalMarch 1, 2012Fund to fight key diseases running lowRichard Feachem San Francisco—A study just published in the Lancet, a British medical journal, found that malaria killed 1.2 million people in 2010. That is nearly double the World Health Organization’s official estimate. Compounding this tragic news is that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria - the largest and arguably the most effective financier of malaria control - is running out of money. It has suspended new grants until 2014 - grants that would have provided millions of families with protective bed nets, life-saving medicines and vital health-care services.Providence JournalMarch 1, 2012Fund to fight key diseases running lowRichard Feachem San Francisco—A study just published in the Lancet, a British medical journal, found that malaria killed 1.2 million people in 2010. That is nearly double the World Health Organization’s official estimate. Compounding this tragic news is that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria - the largest and arguably the most effective financier of malaria control - is running out of money. It has suspended new grants until 2014 - grants that would have provided millions of families with protective bed nets, life-saving medicines and vital health-care services.  Unless we make a concerted and immediate effort to support the Global Fund, the tremendous gains it has made in the past decade will be lost. The United States should convene an emergency donor meeting to address the Global Fund’s resource gaps and ensure that it can operate at full capacity. Ten years ago, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria were crushing burdens on development, killing over 6 million people a year and draining billions of dollars from the global economy. In the developing world, HIV was a death sentence. Only about 50,000 Africans were on anti-retroviral treatment. After five decades of spotty results, aid was still primarily directed by Western technocrats with little accountability for results. The Global Fund was created in 2002 to change all of this. It had two fundamental goals: to mobilize massive new resources against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and to shatter old development-assistance models by being transparent, accountable and demand-driven. On both, the Global Fund has been an unambiguous success. To date, the Global Fund has disbursed $15 billion to programs in 150 countries. These grants have provided 230 million insecticide-treated bed nets and 170 million antimalarial treatments. While the new data have counted adult malaria deaths, increasing the total number of deaths reported, it also shows that these investments have saved more than half a million lives. Taking everything into account, malaria deaths actually decreased, from 1.8 million in 2004 to 1.2 million in 2010.  Global Fund investments have also provided antiretroviral treatment for 3.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly half of all people currently on AIDS treatment in low- and middle-income countries depend in some way on the Global Fund to stay alive. Further, its grants have let health officials treat 8.6 million cases of tuberculosis, saving more than 4 million lives. Thanks in large part to these efforts, the number of tuberculosis deaths has reached lowest point in 10 years. Through all of this, the Global Fund has remained true to its founding principles. Grant recipients - not donors - lead the process of identifying and addressing national health challenges. Civil-society groups, public officials and the private sector are equal partners in developing sound proposals and implementing effective programs. Scores of sensitive documents are published online, including extensive and detailed financial information. This is why the Global Fund’s model has been consistently validated by diverse organizations. Just last month, Publish What You Fund, a project of the nonprofit Global Campaign for Aid Transparency, ranked the Global Fund second among 58 donors surveyed for its commitment to transparency. And last year, the Global Fund earned top marks in the Department for International Development’s aid review for its “excellent track record for delivering results” that provided, “very good value to the ... taxpayer.” The news of malaria’s revised death toll, and the striking downward trend in annual deaths, show that we need the Global Fund now more than ever. Yet instead of planning to end malaria, we are praying that our families and friends survive the next rainy season.  Instead of creating the AIDS-free generation that President Obama envisions, we face scenarios in which millions now on   treatment may be left for dead. Instead of modeling the elimination of tuberculosis, we are worrying about the rising tide of drug resistance.  It is time for governments to take an honest look at their foreign-aid programs. They would be hard-pressed to find a better return on investment than what we have seen from the Global Fund. After 10 years, the Global Fund has unequivocally proven to be responsive, innovative and highly effective in its approach to aid. The United States should convene an emergency donor conference to mobilize new resources for the Global Fund. This is an investment we must continue to make.  Richard Feachem, M.D.(FeachemR@globalhealth.ucsf.edu) is director of the Global Health Group at the University of California at San Francisco and formerly the founding executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This article ran on page B6 in the print edition of the Providence Journal on March 1, 2012.   TB in the News 2012-03-01T14:48:31+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2288/ http://qa.action.org/site/nih_to_join_multi-center_clinical_trial_of_new_tuberculosis_vaccine/#When:19:02:46Z Aeras announces today that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), has joined as a partner for a Phase II proof-of-concept clinical trial of a tuberculosis vaccine candidate jointly developed by Aeras and Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell.Aeras leverages US government clinical trial networks designed for HIV research to support TB vaccine development ROCKVILLE, MD, USA, January 31, 2012  — Aeras announces today that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), has joined as a partner for a Phase II proof-of-concept clinical trial of a tuberculosis vaccine candidate jointly developed by Aeras and Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell. NIH has a long history of supporting TB vaccine development. However, this is the first time that NIH is leveraging its HIV/AIDS clinical trial networks to advance a tuberculosis vaccine candidate. Along with the recent announcement of NIAID’s new partnership in a Phase III TB drug trial, this collaboration follows the NIAID plan to leverage infrastructure originally intended for HIV-related clinical trials to also advance tuberculosis vaccine and therapeutic research for both HIV uninfected and infected populations. One-third of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis. Infants and people who are immune compromised, including those with HIV infection, are at higher risk of developing active TB. Safe and effective vaccines hold promise for protecting these at-risk populations. “NIAID’s involvement in this important clinical trial will maximize return on U.S. government investment in clinical research infrastructure while accelerating progress against the world’s deadliest infectious disease after HIV/AIDS,” said Mary Woolley, CEO and President of Research!America, the nation’s largest not-for-profit public education and advocacy alliance committed to research. The clinical trial, which began in October 2010, has already enrolled infants at three sites in Kenya, South Africa and Mozambique. The goal of the trial is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of vaccine candidate AERAS-402/Crucell Ad35 in HIV-uninfected infants. Significant support for the trial is also provided by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and European Member States. The first NIAID-supported site to join the clinical trial is the Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU) located in Soweto, South Africa at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. The research site is a member of NIAID-funded clinical trial networks including the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) and the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network (IMPAACT). “Our novel collaboration with NIAID comes as multiple TB vaccine candidates are poised to enter efficacy trials requiring thousands of participants and significant investment, as well as complex infrastructure and sophisticated expertise,” said Jim Connolly, President and CEO of Aeras. “We are grateful for the partnership of one of the most well-respected biomedical research institutes in the world, and the opportunity to utilize well-established clinical sites,” he added. ### About the Clinical Trial Field Sites The clinical trial is also ongoing in Kenya led by KEMRI/CDC; in South Africa led by the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI); and in Mozambique led by the Manhica Health Research Centre (CISM). To learn more click on their names to view their websites.  Follow this link to read more about Phase IIb clinical trials. About AERAS-402/Crucell Ad35 In 2004, Aeras and Crucell began joint development of this vaccine candidate. AERAS-402/Crucell Ad35 has been tested in 13 completed or ongoing early-stage clinical trials. These trials include healthy adults and infants as well as adults with HIV infection and adults with recently treated pulmonary tuberculosis. The vaccine candidate has been shown to be immunogenic and to have an acceptable safety profile in these studies. About Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is the world’s second deadliest infectious disease, with 8.8 million new cases diagnosed in 2010. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.4 million people died from TB in 2010. An estimated one-third of the world’s population has been infected with the TB bacillus. Current guidelines require a minimum of six to nine months of treatment. The current TB vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), developed 90 years ago and given to newborn infants, reduces the risk of severe forms of TB in early childhood but is not very effective in preventing pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults - the populations with the highest rates of TB disease. TB is changing and evolving, making new vaccines more crucial for controlling the pandemic. Tuberculosis is now the leading cause of death for people living with HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) are hampering treatment and control efforts. About Aeras Aeras (www.aeras.org) is a non-profit product development organization dedicated to the development of effective vaccines and biologics to prevent TB across all age groups in an affordable and sustainable manner. Aeras has invented or supported the development of six TB vaccine candidates, which are undergoing Phase I and Phase II clinical testing in Africa, Asia, North America and Europe. Aeras receives funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, other private foundations, and governments. Aeras is based in Rockville, Maryland, USA where it operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing and laboratory facility, and Cape Town, South Africa. About the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases NIAID conducts and supports research-at the US National Institutes of Health, throughout the United States, and worldwide-to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. For more information about NIAID visit www.niaid.nih.gov/. Related Links View NIH’s press release on the collaboration Related Stories Aeras and Crucell Announce Phase II Clinical Trial Start in Kenya Press Releases 2012-01-31T19:02:46+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2279/ http://qa.action.org/site/zambia-based_citam_a_community_initiative_for_tb_hiv_aids_malaria_join/#When:17:18:17Z ACTION is excited to announce that Zambia-based Community Initiative for TB, HIV/AIDS & Malaria (CITAM+) has joined the ACTION partnership. With the addition of CITAM+, ACTION now consists of nine advocacy organizations based around the world that are dedicated to empowering ordinary people to become sophisticated advocates who profoundly affect their country’s political process in order to improve health and save lives.    ACTION is excited to announce that Zambia-based Community Initiative for TB, HIV/AIDS & Malaria (CITAM+) has joined the ACTION partnership. With the addition of CITAM+, ACTION now consists of nine advocacy organizations based around the world that are dedicated to empowering ordinary people to become sophisticated advocates who profoundly affect their country’s political process in order to improve health and save lives. Executive Director of CITAM+ Carol Nyirenda is a leading international advocate and media spokesperson who has played an important role in advancing policies and increasing funding for TB and health programming in her home country of Zambia, on the African continent, and globally. As a survivor of TB-HIV co-infection, Carol has tremendous knowledge of the critical needs and challenges faced by low- and middle-income populations. Carol’s commitment and knowledge have propelled her into leadership positions on many national and international bodies, to help drive innovative solutions to address health challenges, and to give affected communities a voice and representation in the larger health community.  She has represented affected communities on the boards of UNITAID, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and the International Union Against Lung Disease and Tuberculosis. At the country-level, Carol sits on the Board of the Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC), and is a founding member of both the Coalition of “Zambian Women Living” and “Act Up Lusaka”. She also represents TB constituency on the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM). Through these positions she spearheads national and international advocacy efforts around TB-HIV, one of which resulted in the Zambian government’s ultimate decision to implement WHO recommendations for collaborative TB-HIV activities. Carol worked to establish CITAM+ in 2005, which develops sustainable TB-HIV support groups in and around Lusaka. Through this organization, Carol was instrumental in developing a comprehensive TB-HIV plan, which included community outreach and policy analysis to help ensure HIV groups incorporate TB counseling and services into their programming, and become educated about the growing co-infection epidemic in Zambia. CITAM+ currently holds a seat on the TB/HIV Joint Collaborative Body hosted by the Zambian Ministry of Health. With the addition of CITAM+, ACTION continues to expand its global reach and improve its ability to fight TB and other global health issues.   2012-01-24T17:18:17+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2277/ http://qa.action.org/site/action_partners_selected_to_serve_on_new_global_fund_for_aids_tb_and_m/#When:21:35:33Z ACTION is excited to announce that two members of the ACTION partnership, Joanne Carter, Executive Director of RESULTS Educational Fund, and Allan Ragi, Executive Director of the Kenya AIDS NGO Consortium, have been appointed to serve on newly created Global Fund committees. Joanne will act as the Developed Country NGO representative on the Strategy, Investment and Impact Committee (SIIC), while Allan will be the Developing Country NGOs representative on the Finance and Operational Performance Committee (FOPC).By: Jove Oliver ACTION is excited to announce that two members of the ACTION partnership, Joanne Carter, Executive Director of RESULTS Educational Fund, and Allan Ragi, Executive Director of the Kenya AIDS NGO Consortium, have been appointed to serve on newly created Global Fund committees. Joanne will act as the Developed Country NGO representative on the Strategy, Investment and Impact Committee (SIIC), while Allan will be the Developing Country NGOs representative on the Finance and Operational Performance Committee (FOPC). The SIIC and FOPC are two of the three committees created at the Global Fund’s Twenty-Fifth Board meeting in Accra, Ghana, as part of a continued effort to reform their governance structure and fully implement recommendations made by the High Level Panel to streamline the committee structure. The Finance and Operational Performance Committee (FOPC) is mandated to provide oversight of the Fund’s financial resources and ensure optimal performance in the operations and corporate management of the Secretariat, while the Strategy, Investment, and Impact Committee (SIIC) is chartered to provide oversight of the strategic direction of the Global Fund and ensure the optimal impact and performance of its investments in health. These appointments, as well as the selection of Lucy Cheshire, a close ACTION ally, as the Communities representative on the SIIC, are an exciting opportunity for ACTION to contribute to the Global Fund’s work of increasing efficiency, inclusion, and effectiveness. “Our ACTION partners have been committed to the life-saving work of the Global Fund since its inception a decade ago.”  said ACTION Director Kolleen Bouchane. “ACTION is excited to be represented on the new committees by Joanne Carter and Allan Ragi, brilliant leaders within our partnership and on global health.  In this moment of funding uncertainly for the Global Fund, just as the end of AIDS has become a real possibility, their work - the work of all those committed to seeing the Global Fund sustain and scale-up - is absolutely critical.” To date, the Global Fund has committed US$ 22.6 billion in 150 countries to support large-scale prevention, treatment and care programs against AIDS, TB, and Malaria. More information on these new committees can be found here   TB in the News 2012-01-13T21:35:33+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2269/ http://qa.action.org/site/aids_2012_submit_a_workshop_proposal/#When:13:40:47Z In July 2012 tens of thousands of HIV researchers, policy makers, and advocates will attend the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. We urge you to submit proposals for workshops that will bring TB-HIV to the forefront of the conference agenda.Impact the profile of TB-HIV at the conference WHY SHOULD I SUBMIT A WORKSHOP? TB is the largest killer of people with HIV/AIDS but underrepresented in the conversation. By submitting a proposal, you can raise the visibility of TB/HIV at the conference and help drive action that saves lives from co-infection. To share specific skills and showcase your organization. HOW DO I SUBMIT A WORKSHOP? Visit the AIDS 2012 website and create a profile http://www.aids2012-abstracts.org/workshop/. Review workshop submission requirements. Submit online between DECEMBER 1, 2011 - FEBRUARY 15, 2012 For further information, contact Mandy Slutsker, ACTION Senior Project Associate at mslutsker@results.org WHAT ARE THE WORKSHOP FOCUS AREAS?   Scientific Development These workshops will help participants develop skills and collaborative learning around the latest scientific research, emerging technologies, and breakthroughs in policy and programming. It is a great opportunity to highlight advances in research and scale-up of evidence based approaches, including TB-HIV. Leadership & Accountability Development These workshops should provide participants with innovative skills to assess and measure the commitments and actions of leaders. Workshops should challenge individuals and organizations to consider the ways they go about developing leadership and accountability and what outcomes they hope to achieve by doing this. Community Skills Development This series of workshops will showcase effective community empowerment programs that add value to public health outcomes in treatment, prevention, care, and support. Participants will broaden their knowledge and skills to be able to implement effective programs in their communities.  For an example of a successful workshop proposal visit http://www.aids2012.org/WebContent/File/AIDS2012_Guide_to_Submitting_a_Good_Workshop.pdf     TB in the News 2011-12-15T13:40:47+00:00 http://qa.action.org/site/newsroom/2266/ http://qa.action.org/site/aids_2012_call_for_abstracts/#When:17:28:08Z In July 2012 tens of thousands of HIV researchers, policy makers, and advocates will attend the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. We invite you to submit abstracts for symposia that will bring TB-HIV to the forefront of the conference agenda.In July 2012 tens of thousands of HIV researchers, policy makers, and advocates will attend the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. We invite you to submit abstracts for symposia that will bring TB-HIV to the forefront of the conference agenda. Why Should I Submit An Abstract? TB is the largest killer of people with HIV/AIDS but underrepresented in the conversation. The volume of abstracts on a particular subject (TB-HIV, for example) directly affects the visibility of that subject at the conference. To showcase your research. How Do I Submit An Abstract? Visit the AIDS 2012 website http://www.aids2012.org and review submission guidelines. Submit online between December 1, 2011 - February 15, 2012. For further information, contact Mandy Slutsker, Senior Project Associate, ACTION at mslutsker@results.org What Are the Submission Categories? Track A: Basic Science This track addresses basic science around disease progression, morbidity and mortality. It is a great opportunity to highlight advances in basic research on the influence of opportunistic infections, including TB, on HIV disease course and immune control. Emphasis is being placed on new technologies and diagnostic tools. Track B: Clinical Science This track focuses on the long-term goals of providing HIV care, treatment and prevention. Abstracts should focus on the latest research findings, complexities, and controversies related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic infections, including TB. Track C: Epidemiology and Prevention Science This track addresses recent advances in the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS prevention. Sessions in this track will foSubmissions in this track examine the ways in which HIV programs affect both clinical and non-clinical outcomes including health indicators, economic growth, and health systems functioning. Science from this track may evaluate the impact of prevention, care and treatment program scale-up and implementation and aims to inform resource allocation among different sectors in the fight against HIV.  cus on HIV prevention research at both individual and population levels. Topics of particular interest include HIV testing, treatment as prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and microbicides. Track D: Social Science Human Rights and Political Science Track D encompasses a wide range of social and behavioral science disciplines. Abstracts should provide qualitative and quantitative assessments of social, political, behavioral and human rights factors that influence HIV risk, vulnerability, response and impact. Submissions from community-based program implementers and advocates are encouraged. Track E: Implementation Science, Health Systems and Economics Submissions in this track examine the ways in which HIV programs affect both clinical and non-clinical outcomes including health indicators, economic growth, and health systems functioning. Science from this track may evaluate the impact of prevention, care and treatment program scale-up and implementation and aims to inform resource allocation among different sectors in the fight against HIV. DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THIS ABSTRACT HERE TB in the News 2011-12-05T17:28:08+00:00