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6 countries listed as priorities for bird flu grant funding
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-01-19 20:41 Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Laos, Mongolia and
Vietnam are listed as priorities for global avian influenza grant funding,
according to a multidonor financing framework report adopted at the
international pledging conference closed here Wednesday.
Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao adresses the International Pledging Conference on Avian and Human
Pandemic Influenza in Beijing January 18, 2006.
[Xinhua] | "There are a number of important priorities for grant funding,"the report
says, listing the six nations as bird flu infected or high-risk countries.
Other priorities include "integrated core programs in Africa," according to
the report.
United Nation's coordinator on avian and human influenza David Nabarro told
press after the conference that it's better not to be too focused on the
question which country is to receive the most funding.
Currently, he said, the major needs were in south and east Asia. But he also
cautioned that the avian influenza has become much more dangerous in east
Europe, "particularly in Turkey and Ukraine."
"As the situation evolves, we've also seen the needs for funding evolves as
well," he said.
Avian Influenza has now spread from Asia to the Middle East and Europe with a
possible trend of spreading to Latin America, Africaand elsewhere. So far, about
80 people have been reported died of the disease and over 150 were infected.
In order to raise money to enforce global cooperation on bird flu prevention
and cooperation, nearly 700 representatives from over 100 countries and 20
international institutions gathered in Beijing from Jan. 17 to 18.
The conference ended up with over 1.8 billion U.S. dollars of pledged
donations, among which 121.6 million U.S. dollars were from the European
Commission, 134.9 million U.S. dollars from the European Union (EU), 468 Million
dollars from the Asian Development Bank, 334 million dollars from the United
States and 155 million dollars from Japan.
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