EU commits €715m to Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria

The European Commission announced yesterday that it will allocate a new record amount of 715 million euros from the EU budget to the Global Fund for the period 2023-2025 during the seventh conference of the reconstitution of the Fund organized by the US President Mr. Biden in New York .

Together with the commitments of the EU Member States, the “Europe Group” confirms its strong commitment to the Global Fund with a total contribution of more than 4 billion euros for the period 2023-2025.

The Global Fund is an international partnership to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which has already saved 50 million lives over the past 20 years. The new contribution is in addition to the €150 million already allocated from the EU budget this year to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) to help countries cover the cost of personal protective equipment, of diagnostic tests and pharmacotherapeutic preparations.

Announcing the EU’s new commitment for 2023-2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Having joined forces to tackle COVID19, we now need to get back on track fighting other deadly diseases.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria helps save millions of lives.

That is why we will increase the EU’s contribution to the Global Fund to €715 million, an amount that will provide a lifeline to millions more people and help improve the health of all.”

International Corporate Relations Commissioner Juta Urpillainen added: “The EU has been a strong supporter of the Global Fund since its inception in 2002, and we will support it even more in the coming years with today’s (ie yesterday’s) historic increase in our contribution by 30 %. We are helping the planet get back on track to fight these three killer diseases and strengthen health systems to better deal with future pandemics and other diseases. The EU’s commitment to improving the health of all will be further demonstrated in the forthcoming EU strategy for global health, under the Global Gateway, which will be launched later this autumn.”

We are building a healthier and fairer world

The Global Fund seeks to raise at least $18 billion for the period 2023-2025 to save 20 million lives, prevent more than 450 million infections, reduce the death rate from HIV, tuberculosis and malaria by 64% and to build a healthier and fairer world.

Of the $18 billion, $6 billion will be invested in strengthening health systems and local community networks, which will significantly strengthen the Fund’s role in supporting countries’ efforts to develop more people-centered and integrated health systems, able to prevent, detect and deal with infectious disease threats.

Record

When the Global Fund was founded 20 years ago, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria were considered incurable diseases. However, thanks to science, adequate resources and effective global cooperation, even the deadliest diseases can be fought. In just 20 years, the Global Fund partnership managed to save 50 million lives and double the number of deaths.

In addition to its mandate to eliminate AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the Global Fund is playing a leading role in the fight against COVID-19. The Fund was the first provider of financial support to low- and middle-income countries with the sole exception of vaccines. Through its COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), the Fund helps countries cover the costs of personal protective equipment, diagnostic tests and pharmacotherapeutics. The EU announced the allocation of €150 million to C19RM.

The European Union and its member states as “Group Europe” are a major donor to the Global Fund. For the sixth reconstitution of the Global Fund for the period 2020-2022, the European Commission had committed 550 million euros. With the new commitment of €715 million, the European Commission’s total contributions to the Global Fund from 2001 to 2025 amount to €3.5 billion.The contributions of the EU and its 27 Member States to the Global Fund from 2001 to in 2022 they amount to 21.2 billion dollars.

This commitment is part of the European Commission’s intensive work to promote global health, which consists of bilateral and regional support to health systems in partner countries, as well as other global health initiatives: among others, the World Health Organization, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance and Interim Fund for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response.

Nikos Andritsos

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