In 2016 Belgium supports the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for an amount of € 19 million. Minister for Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo and GFATM Executive Director Mark Dybul signed a new framework agreement on June 15th.
Family planning clinic at the heart of Belgium's parliament
Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health Maggie De Block and members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group ‘Parliamentarians for the 2030 Agenda’ visited the one-day African family planning clinic that opened its doors in the heart of the federal parliament. It called attention for the 225 million women in the South who would like to prevent or postpone pregnancy, but lack access to contraception.
Early June the UN held a High Level Meeting on HIV. World leaders agreed to goals that should define the international HIV-AIDS policy for the next 5 years. An interview with Chris Lambrechts, director of Sensoa, the Flemish expertise centre on sexual health on the HLM.
The Dutch and Belgian SRHR platforms organized a joint meeting in Brussels to learn about their priorities and activities, and exchange about the SRHR policies of the Belgian and Dutch development cooperation. The meeting revealed particular approaches to SRHR.
New framework agreement between Belgium and UNAIDS
On June 24th Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo and UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé signed a framework agreement for the next four years. Belgium commits to a core contribution of 4 million euros a year as of 2016.