Today, Canada officially announced that it will host the fifth replenishment for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), and Malaria this September. Prime Minister Trudeau also announced Canada’s pledge to the Global Fund replenishment — $780 million CAD over three years — an increase of 20 percent over its 2014-2016 contributions. Take a scroll and learn why the Global Fund is more important now than ever before!
(Photo credit: Morgana Wingard/ONE)
What is the Global Fund?
Just over a decade ago, HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria were raging out of control, particularly in Africa. Together, they killed more than 4 million people each year, leaving in their wake an immense human and economic toll. In 2002, leaders joined forces in 2002 to create the Global Fund as a “war chest” to fight AIDS, TB, and malaria. Over the course of the last decade, the Global Fund has become the single most powerful tool in the fight against these three killer diseases. More than $33 billion in grants to more than 140 countries have translated into real impact on the ground, providing: antiretroviral treatment for 8.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS; insecticide-treated bed nets to protect 600 million families from malaria; and detection and treatment services for 15 million cases of TB.
How many lives has the Global Fund saved?
Today, deaths from AIDS, TB, and malaria have fallen by more than one-third in the countries where the Global Fund invests. In partnership with other donors, the private sector, and the investments made by countries themselves, the Global Fund’s support has saved 17 million lives and is on track to save 22 million lives by the end of 2016.
What does the Global Fund do to help women and girls?
In the last five years, the Global Fund has dramatically enhanced its focus on women and girls: While less than half of the Fund’s programs were focused on women and girls in 2010, 55-60% of the Fund’s spending is now specifically targeted to women and girls, contributing to a total investment of $16 billion since 2002.
(Photo credit: Morgana Wingard/ONE)
How is the Global Fund funded?
The Global Fund holds a replenishment meeting every three years, during which it pools funds not only from traditional government donors, but also from foundations, high-net-worth individuals, private sector companies, and emerging donor governments.
Why does this year’s replenishment matter and what can I do to help?
For its Fifth Replenishment, the Global Fund is seeking at least $13 billion for the next three year period (2017–19) to continue its critical work and to scale up the most effective new interventions in the fight against AIDS, TB, and malaria. Experts estimate that effectively deploying this $13 billion would save up to 8 million lives; avert up to 300 million new infections across the three diseases; allow the Global Fund to make substantial contributions towards building sustainable and resilient health systems; and return up to $290 billion in broad, long-term economic gains. Put on a smaller scale, every $100 million raised by donors will save 60,000 lives, avert 2.3 million new infections, and generate $300 million and $2.2 billion in domestic resources and long-term economic gains, respectively.
This 2016, donors can either build the road leading us towards the end of AIDS, TB, and malaria, or allow their precious window of opportunity to fade and these diseases to continue spreading for decades more.
The choice is theirs. The responsibility is ours. Eight million lives are at stake.
