As the second anniversary of the termination of the Myanmar Global Fund Round Three grant passes it is time to consider applying for Global Fund resources again.

A glossy brochure published by the Global Fund is circulating at the ICAAP. It was printed just a month ago. It notes that the Global Fund supports programs in twenty countries across South and East Asia. Remarkably, Myanmar is still on the list! There is even a map of Asia with Myanmar’s outline the same colour as China and India.

The brochure authors may have made an error, but I put a question to Michel Kazatchkine, the new Executive Director of the Global Fund: “What is the Global Fund’s position on re-engagement with Myanmar?” He replied that the Executive Director of the Global Fund would see no problem with considering a Round 8 proposal from Myanmar. And that he had recently told a senior Burmese official this position.

So the door is open. According to the Global Fund, Myanmar is still on the map.

[him] moderator