Dear Commons Community,

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged a donation of $750 million  to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.    The donation was made as a promissory note intended to tide the fund over regular cash shortages.

The New York Times reports that

“Mr. Gates, who made the announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said tough economic times were “no excuse for cutting aid to the world’s poorest…”

The Global Fund, which pays for AIDS drugs for more than 3 million poor people, has distributed more than 200 million mosquito nets and says it has prevented more than 4 million tuberculosis deaths. Now observing its 10th anniversary, it has been struggling to raise money. Its last fund-raising drive fell more than $1 billion short of the $13 billion the fund said it needed to continue existing grants. It recently said it could not make new ones.

Some government donors have backed away, either because of their own budget crises or because of thefts of the fund’s money in different countries. While not large, the thefts have made persistent headlines and been seized on by opponents of foreign aid.”

A most generous contribution to a worthy cause!

Tony