In 2007 the German government hosted a replenishment conference for the Global Fund in Berlin. To underline its role as host Germany promised to give €200m annually to the Fund between 2008 and 2010. Right now, the German parliament is discussing the 2010 budget.

We were quite surprised to see that section 23 – the part of the budget that holds most of the funds going to development – foresees only €142m for the Global Fund. The development ministry was quick to clarify that the remaining €58m would come from funds that were not used throughout the year, and that those funds just wouldn’t show up in the budget proposal. But ONE and other NGOs are wondering: Why the hide-and-seek?

So ONE and 10 other NGOs, among them Oxfam and Medicines Sans Frontiers, published an open letter addressed to the five parliamentarians that report to the budget committee about section 23 of the budget in which we call on the Bundestag to include the full funds that were promised in the 2010 budget. We’ll keep you posted on further developments!