Global Fund seeks $14 billion at Replenishment Summit – with progress against HIV, TB and malaria at risk

The Global Fund (GF) has only raised $4 billion of its $18 billion budget for the next three years – so much is riding on its Replenishment Summit in Johannesburg on Friday (21 November) as it seeks the balance to advance progress against HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

The United States has been the largest donor to the Global Fund, contributing around one-third of its budget – but whether it will still contribute generously is an open question, given the Trump administration’s “America First” focus.

“We have been in almost constant dialogue with the US since the beginning of the year, and we have not received any stop-work order or any sort of notification that the funding will be stopped,” Francoise Vanni, the Fund’s external relations and communications director, told a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday.

“We are confident that they will pledge to the Replenishment tomorrow,” added Vanni, pointing out that the US and the GF are working closely to roll out the long-acting HIV prevention medicine, lenacapavir, in several African countries.

South Africa and the United Kingdom (UK) are co-hosting the Replenishment, but that did not prevent the UK from cutting its contribution by 15%.

The Fund provides 73% of all international financing for TB, 60% for malaria and 24% for HIV.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has described initial pledges as “deeply concerning”. “Germany and the United Kingdom – the only major traditional donors to pledge so far – have both decreased their commitments compared to the last cycle. Specifically, Germany has pledged €1 billion instead of €1.3 billion and the UK has pledged £850 million instead of £1 billion,” MSF noted on Thursday.

“No donor has increased their pledge when considering inflation. If other major donors follow Germany and the UK’s examples, the results would be catastrophic for people impacted by TB, HIV, and malaria worldwide,” MSF said.

“Failure to meet this [$14 billion] goal would risk catastrophic cuts to essential services, threaten the resurgence of HIV, TB, and malaria – the world’s top three deadliest infectious diseases – and put the financial burden of health care onto the world’s most vulnerable patients.”

Read the full news story at Health Policy Watch.

SEE ALSO:

• Euractiv: HIV fight at risk as Macron expected to skip major health summit
• Health GAP: Activists demand Macron stop deadly move to cut life-saving HIV, TB, and malaria programs
• The Telegraph: Fundraising summit for AIDS, TB and malaria expected to fall billions of pounds short