'A great day for global health' says Annan

The battle against global pandemics took another step forward yesterday (September 27th) with the announcement that $9.7 billion had been pledged to fight a variety of dangerous diseases.

Donors at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria conference in Berlin pledged the sum over the three-day event, exceeding expectations by $1.7 billion.

Of the countries attending the conference, France promised €900 million ($1.2 billion), while Germany pledged €600 million and Spain a total of €424 million.

"This is a great day for global health. I am grateful to all the governments who are here today and those who will pledge in future," said former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, reports Agence France-Presse.

"We must absolutely increase our efforts. The aim is possibly as much as eight billion dollars a year," he added.

A sum between $12 billion and $18 billion is needed to maintain the current treatment programmes for the diseases, says the Global Fund.

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