Chinese NGO says legally elected to global AIDS fund

BEIJING, May 20 (Reuters) A member of a Chinese non-governmental organisation today said that he had been legally elected to the board of a global initiative against HIV/AIDS and denied he had been chosen by the government.

Jia Ping, development director for the Ai Zhi Yuan Zhu Centre for Health and Education, added that he was worried the argument and criticism from some other groups could split China's NGO community and undermine the fight against the disease.

''Our organisation is pure grass roots without any government connection,'' Jia told Reuters. ''I'm not on the side of the government. I'm on the side of the NGOs.'' This week a group of other NGOs met to elect their own representative to the Chinese coordinating board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

At stake is tens of millions of dollars in grants, which the board distributes and oversees.

Jia said his election as grassroots NGO delegate last month was a fair and legal process, which had been recognised by the Geneva-based fund.

''The election in April was based on legal procedure,'' he said in fluent English. ''It was approved by the global fund.'' The head of the main UN AIDS body in China said this week he was concerned the argument would distract people from fighting the disease, which last year caused 25,000 deaths in the country.

''I'm afraid this will lead to a split in the NGO community,'' said Jia, whose group works in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang.

''This is an argument about power, money and reputation,'' he said. ''I really didn't want to argue about this.'' The fund said it was aware of the dispute in China over membership of the board, known as the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM).

''The CCM of China is currently undergoing a reform process, which will conclude with election of a new CCM membership,'' it said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

''As far as the Global Fund is aware, the process and terms of reference put in place are sound and progressing well. The Global Fund is conscious of concerns voiced by Civil Society stakeholders in China, and will continue to follow the process closely.'' China's Health Ministry has not responded to faxed questions asking for comment.

China, which the Communists have run as a one-party state since 1949, is wary of groups it cannot directly control, although it does tolerate many independent AIDS groups.

Jia, a lawyer who last year was a visiting scholar at Columbia University's Center for the Study of Human Rights, said he was dedicated to protecting the rights of NGOs in China.

''The power of NGOs and public participation will change China,'' he said. ''But it should be a gradual, not a shock process.'' The Geneva-based fund, launched with great fanfare in 2002, has become the largest global supporter of malaria and tuberculosis programmes and among the top three AIDS funders.

But it has struggled to win long-term financial backing from donors, the largest being Europe, the United States and Japan.

It has already approved grants worth 5 billion dollars to improve anti-retroviral and anti-malarial drug access, distribute bed nets and expand testing to stop the spread of tuberculosis. REUTERS Reuters SY RN1430