The ONE Campaign today welcomed the British government’s decision to pledge up to £1bn to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria. The pledge is dependent upon the Global Fund’s 2014-2016 funding round meeting its $15bn target

Bono, co-founder of ONE, said:

“The UK’s pledge of up to a billion pounds for the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria means what once seemed impossible could now be within our grasp.  Through this smart investment in one of the most effective disease-fighting funds in history, we could witness the defeat of these global killers in our lifetime. David Cameron and Justine Greening have given us a billion reasons to believe we can do it, but Britain’s pledge will only be delivered if others step up too. Australia, Canada, Germany: your move.”

Adrian Lovett, ONE’s Europe Executive Director, said:

“For a cost of £5 per year for each person in the UK, this is one of the best investments Britain will ever make.  AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria have destroyed lives and life chances for too long.  Now we have an opportunity not just to control but to defeat these killers.  Britain’s full commitment would allow the Global Fund to deliver life-saving AIDS treatment to more than 750,000 people and protect 33 million families from malaria.

“Hundreds of thousands have urged David Cameron and Justine Greening to look at the proven track record of the Global Fund and make a strong commitment.    We now have an historic opportunity not just to control but to defeat these diseases. The potential difference that £1bn would make to those millions around the world is staggering. Millions of lives will be saved, millions of families will be protected and the British public can feel very proud of the difference they have made. It is vital that other world leaders, including Angela Merkel in Germany, now step up and commit their share too.”

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITOR

Founded in 2002, the Global Fund has become the single most powerful tool in the fight against these three killer diseases. Today, it channels indispensable resources: 82 per cent of all financing for TB, 50 per cent for malaria, and 21 per cent for AIDS around the world. Over $26bn in grants to more than 150 countries have translated into real impact on the ground, providing:

• antiretroviral treatment for 5.3m people living with HIV/AIDS;
• treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission  for 2.1m HIV-positive pregnant women;
• insecticide-treated bed nets to protect 340m families from malaria;
• detection and treatment services for 11m cases of TB; and
• basic care and support for 6.3m orphans and vulnerable children.

ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 3 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Cofounded by Bono and strictly nonpartisan, we raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in the fight against poverty. ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not solicit funding from the public or receive government funding. ONE is funded almost entirely by a handful of philanthropists and foundations. We achieve change through advocacy. Our teams in Washington, D.C., London, Johannesburg, Brussels, Berlin, and Paris educate and lobby governments to shape policy solutions that save and improve millions of lives.  To learn more, go to ONE.org

For more information contact Michael Healy. [email protected] or 07585 900 646