Commission head of unit assumes vice chairmanship of Global Fund
Dr Lieve Fransen, head of unit for human and social development in DG Development, has been elected to the post of vice-chair of the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The fund was set-up in 2002 as a body to fund schemes to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, all of which are preventable, but cause more than six million deaths per year, the majority in developing countries. The schemes financed by the Global Fund are subject to highly critical research and monitoring to ensure effectiveness. Proposals are assessed on technical merit, with 56 per cent of grants going to HIV/AIDS programmes, 26 per cent to malaria and 17 per cent to tuberculosis in more than 130 countries. The EU and Member States have donated more than USD 2.5 billion since the Global Fund's inception. Dr Fransen graduated from Ghent University in Belgium with an MD in Surgery and Obstetrics before taking a PhD in social medicine and public health at the University of Antwerp. She worked extensively in Africa before founding the AIDS Task Force of the European Commission's HIV/AIDS programme for developing countries. Dr Fransen will hold the post until April 2007.
Countries
Belgium