The Global Fund has basically two origins. One is the UN; the UN Secretary-General at that time, Kofi Annan, whom I hope you will see in the video at the end, was really a big supporter of the fund. The other one has always been the G-8.
It started with the G-8 in Canada in 2000; then, at all the G-8s over the years, the Global Fund, the fight against the diseases, and the progress towards the millennium development goals have always been on the agenda. We are confident that this will not be different at the G-8 here in Canada.
The difference is twofold. First, we are obviously in the middle of this economic crisis, so that's new. It was much easier in years like 2005 or 2007 to achieve big increases in ODA and funding. It's more challenging in 2010. Therefore, Canada has this particular challenge of finding a way to maintain this commitment in the middle of this crisis. I believe the answer is only through these results. We can only get the confidence of the donors, in spite of the crisis, if we tell them we are using their money with accountability, with transparency, and with results.
The other difference in 2010 is, as I described, this shift towards the G-20. You are witnessing the first big transition from just the G-8 countries to the inclusion of countries such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil at the table.
That's also an opportunity for us. Interestingly enough, basically all these countries have received Global Fund funding over time, so here you have, suddenly, big countries at the table that can speak from their own experience: China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico. They can say, “Well, we know the Global Fund, because we have benefited from it”. We hope this will support our efforts and that Canada can manage this transition and now get broader support. We want these countries to contribute financially now. They are in situations that allow them to take over more responsibility. We are talking to all of them, but we would be happy to have Canada's support, as you will have the chair.
That's why I said it's a very important year for us.