Global Fund appeals to US

The Global Fund is calling on America to take the lead in the fight against Aids.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rajat Guspa, head of the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, made an appeal to the new US administration.

"I would underscore that, at this point in time, we need US leadership because right now I think the US is lagging behind," he told the AFP. "The global fund is not immune to the environment today of the global financial crisis."

Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a special adviser to the UN and also highlighted the way big countries can help the developing world.

He said that the Global Fund has a funding gap of $5 billion as a result of the economic downturn which has led countries, including the US, to fail to fulfil pledges of support.

News brought to you by Global Health TV, covering the issues of health in the developing world