OTTAWA – The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, announced May 9 that Canada will host the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Montréal, Québec, on September 16, 2016.
The Prime Minister also announced that Canada is pledging CAD785 million to the Global Fund for the next three years, a 20 per cent increase from its previous pledge three years ago. This investment will make a significant contribution to the ultimate goal of saving an additional 8 million lives and averting an additional 300 million new infections by 2019.
NEW YORK – The UN’s Chef de Cabinet, Edmond Mulet, and Ambassador Liu Jieyi, the Permanent Representative of China to the UN, signed an agreement on May 5 covering a multi-year contribution of $200 million from China to the United Nations to finance activities relating to peace, security and development. This is a follow-up to President Xi Jinping’s announcement in September 2015 of China’s contribution to a strong United Nations.
Through this agreement, China has confirmed its intention to contribute $20 million annually for 10 years to the newly established United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund. With respect to each annual contribution, $10 million will be utilized towards activities in the area of peace and security and $10 million support of the 2030 Agenda for [Sustainable] Development.
As Germany also joined, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also thanked the Government of Germany for its contribution of €10 million for 2016 to his Peacebuilding Fund. He called on other Member States to contribute to the Fund. Coming in at almost $11.5 million, the new contribution makes Germany the fifth‑largest contributor to the Fund overall. The Secretary‑General would also like to thank the Government of Japan for its recent contribution of $3.5 million. A Peacebuilding Fund Pledging Conference will be held on the margins of the forthcoming General Assembly in September 2016.
BANGKOK – The 72nd session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will be held under the theme ‘Science, technology and innovation for sustainable development’ at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 15 to 19, 2016.
This is the first Commission session to be held since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the members of the United Nations in September 2015. It offers a unique opportunity to collectively review key challenges to achieving inclusive and sustainable economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP said in a press release on May 5. The high-level dialogue will also enable countries to share their priorities and visions on the regional economic cooperation and integration agenda necessary for successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [IDN-InDepthNews – 9 May 2016]
IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.
Photo: The Global Fund