This Myanmar official's explanation of the Global Fund pullout given to the UN General Assembly last month is amusing. He blames the grant termination on 'extraneous factors'.

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U MAUNG WAI ( Myanmar) said that many countries, including low- and middle-income ones, had laid down important groundwork in the past year for a long-term effort to move towards universal access.  The Secretary-General’s report not only provided an overview of progress achieved, but also included useful recommendations for moving towards universal access.  Myanmar was committed to fighting HIV/AIDS by using all of its available resources.  Myanmar’s National Strategic Plan for 2006-2010 included six broad strategic areas:  advocacy to authorities and decision-makers; prevention education; targeted interventions; care and treatment; programme management and support; and capacity-building.

He said that since 2005, antiretroviral therapy for the public sector had been provided in 13 hospitals in various townships.  Myanmar was also collaborating with regional countries, including through the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Taskforce on AIDS.  Due to extraneous factors, the Global Fund had unilaterally terminated its programme in Myanmar in August 2005, a move Myanmar deeply regretted.  To bridge the gap, however, a group of six donors had agreed to set up the Three Disease Fund to support the National Strategic Plan.  Myanmar would continue to cooperate with regional and international partners to further strengthen efforts to address the pandemic.

http://www.maximsnews.com/107mnunmay21unsecretarygeneralgeneralassemblycallforunitedfrontagainstaidspandemic.htm