Foreign Affairs committee  We actually have pretty close control assistance, but when the Global Fund was created, it was decided that these kinds of control systems would be outsourced. While we don't have an office in these countries, we employ what I describe as the local fund agents. These are people o

Foreign Affairs committee  Again, I would say we have those people on the ground; it's only that we pay them for their services rather than being staff members. Secondly, yes, corruption has a high cost as well. We have detected many of these cases of corruption, and not only are we responding to that, we

Foreign Affairs committee  The mandate of the Global Fund is very clear. We were created to mobilize resources to help countries address AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. But we are mandated, and are actually asked to support health system strengthening, for example, as it relates to AIDS, tuberculosis, and

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. First of all, you're absolutely right that the criminalization of men who have sex with men plays a big role in many countries and is a very important obstacle to effective prevention, to directing the resources to where they are really needed, namely, to reach these

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. Yes, the Global Fund has always stated that we have absolutely zero tolerance for corruption, but at the same time we do know that we are investing our money in countries where there's a significant risk of corruption. That was exactly what this high-level panel repor

Foreign Affairs committee  I'd be happy to. First of all, yes, I emphasize that we don't have any country offices. However, I should mention one point. Obviously we have teams that are responsible for these countries, operating from Geneva but visiting these countries regularly, and it was one of the reco

Foreign Affairs committee  There are several steps. The country works on a proposal. They submit the proposal. It goes to the technical review panel I spoke about and then to the board for approval. Once the board approves, it goes to the secretariat, which enters into a contractual relationship with the

Foreign Affairs committee  Over the last couple of years, we have developed what we call a gender equality policy, which provides very clear guidelines to the country coordinating mechanisms, the country round tables that submit the proposals and discuss the strategy. We are requiring them to put the conce

Foreign Affairs committee  I've heard about the bill, although I must admit that I don't know much about the details.

Foreign Affairs committee  But I think, indeed, the point is, I believe, that the more you increase competition in the generic drug market, the better it is, normally, for the affordability of and access to the drugs. If Canada were to play a role in that and could thereby help lower the cost further, that

Foreign Affairs committee  That is an excellent question. There are two ways in which technical assistance is made available--or even three. First is through partner organizations. It is very important that our partner organizations, such as the UN, the World Health Organization, the Stop TB Partnership,

Foreign Affairs committee  I cannot give you a precise number because that is a very complex calculation, and we are monitoring that quarter by quarter, in a sense. As I said, we are trying to provide long-term support to these countries. In some cases, we commit for several years in advance, and that's wh

Foreign Affairs committee  It's a little early to say that, of course, because we are a couple of years away from the real marketing, but the company already has announced that once it is ready, they would basically provide it at production cost. So they wouldn't make any profit from that vaccine. I hope t

Foreign Affairs committee  Affordable drugs are absolutely critical for all three diseases. The good news here is also that the prices for these drugs have come down dramatically. When the Global Fund was created 10 years ago, it was not only that we able to mobilize billions of dollars but also that the p

Foreign Affairs committee  I think Canada for many years has strongly supported the provision of generic drugs, which indeed have all the kinds of prices I just mentioned. These are, of course, generic drugs that we are able to purchase. Many of those are now being produced in emerging economies, particula