Today, the British Government announced its pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). The UK will contribute [GBP] £1.4 billion  to GFATM, demonstrating Britain’s continuing support for this life-saving organisation. This will go towards the Fund’s overall target of [USD] $14 billion that, if fulfilled, will help save 16 million lives over the next three years.

Romilly Greenhill, UK Director of The ONE Campaign, said:

“This bold pledge is something that everyone in the UK should be truly proud of, and will play a key role in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. Britain’s continued support will help save 2 million lives (1).

“This is a great example of the UK playing a key role on the world stage. These diseases, the worst killers in human history, can be eradicated for good – but only if the world rises to this challenge – so the strong leadership being shown by the UK is absolutely vital.

“Investing in the Global Fund is in everyone’s interest. It not only helps protect people at risk from these three diseases, but is also good for UK taxpayers who benefit from living in a healthier, fairer and safer world.”

The UK has long been a supporter of the Global Fund, and is the third biggest contributor to the organisation.

To date, the Global Fund has helped save 27 million lives since its founding in 2002. The Replenishment Conference – which will be hosted in Lyon, France in October – will provide the funds required for the Fund to carry out its work between 2020 and 2023. It comes at a crucial time in the battle against these diseases, which risk having a resurgence unless the world works together to defeat them once and for all.

Gayle Smith, CEO and President of The ONE Campaign, said:

“It’s great to see the UK stepping up and showing real leadership when it’s needed most. Other countries now need to follow this lead and ensure the fight against these three diseases is fully funded.

“The math is simple – this money will save millions of lives. But there’s something even bigger at stake here. With the right funding, we can put an end to these diseases for good. A world free from HIV, TB and malaria is an investment worth making, and the time to make it is now.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. This figure was arrived at using the Global Fund’s published estimates of the number of lives US$100 million would help save between 2021 and 2023. While the Global Fund will use the exchange rates on the day of the Replenishment, we chose to use the latest quarterly average from the OECD to calculate these figures in GBP to minimise the effects of seasonal or daily variability. We have rounded the figures to the nearest million.