President von der Leyen pledged €715 million for the Global Fund
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen concluded an intense week of discussions with world leaders and international partners at the United Nations General Assembly in New York where a series of commitments were made to address both the current food crisis , which is exacerbated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the urgent climate and ecological crisis and to improve global health.
President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the Global Citizen festival in New York, reiterated the EU’s commitment to, on the one hand, helping our most vulnerable partners to deal with the social and economic impact of Russia’s illegal actions and, on the other hand, to stimulate sustainable investment as part of the Global Gateway strategy.
President von der Leyen has committed €715 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, a commitment that brings the total contribution of the “Europe Group” (EU and Member States) to an amount of more than 4.3 billion euros. It also announced an additional €600 million in funding to address the global food security crisis in the most vulnerable partner countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
In addition, the president announced a new contribution of €45 million over six years to support sexual and reproductive health and related rights, including women’s rights, worldwide.
He also announced that, after doubling the Commission’s funding for global biodiversity, €7 billion will be invested in protecting biodiversity around the world. Finally, the president announced that the European Union is establishing forest partnerships with five countries: Uganda, Zambia, Congo, Mongolia and Guyana.
President von der Leyen said: “Group Europe is responding to the call of citizens to ensure food security and to protect our health and the health of our planet. After joining forces to fight the pandemic, we must now join forces to end other deadly diseases, tackle poverty and achieve equality. Europe will also play its part in the global green transition. Ahead of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in December, we are confirming an unprecedented investment to support our partners. I call on all international donors to meet our biodiversity ambitions.”
The Commissioner for International Corporate Relations, Ms. Juta Urpillainen, said: “We must join forces to get back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. As announced at this week’s Education Transformation Summit, the EU has significantly increased its investment in education, which is a catalyst for progress on all the Sustainable Development Goals. With these new announcements today, we call on the international community to join us in making more, fairer and more effective investments in people and the planet.”
The EU is increasing its support to the most vulnerable countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific affected by the food crisis
The European Commission has redirected €600 million from the 10th and 11th European Development Funds to finance immediate humanitarian aid and support sustainable food production and resilience of food systems in the most vulnerable partner countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Peaceful. With these funds, the EU will help its partners deal with the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, in particular the food security crisis and the resulting economic shocks, by strengthening the autonomy of its partners. Of the additional €600 million, €160.5 million was allocated to West and Central Africa, €146 million to East Africa and the Great Lakes, €76.5 million to Southern Africa, €36.5 million .€ for the Caribbean and €10 million for the Pacific.
An additional €52.5 million will be given with the main objective of sustainable financing and investment for sustainable agricultural and agri-food value chains at continental and regional level, while another €100 million will ensure macroeconomic support to low-income countries in Africa, the Caribbean and of the Pacific by leveraging concessional loans, by contributing to the International Monetary Fund’s poverty reduction and development trust fund and by thereby creating fiscal space to help these countries deal with the food crisis.
The estimated total EU support for global food security and food systems therefore exceeds €7.7 billion by 2024. Along with an additional €600 million, it includes an estimated €2.2 billion in direct humanitarian aid. food and nutrition aid for the most vulnerable countries and €5 billion to be invested in sustainable food systems in the medium and long term.
Promoting sexual and reproductive health and related rights worldwide
The United Nations Population Fund is a UN agency for sexual and reproductive health that works in about 150 countries around the world. Its mission is to create a world where every pregnancy will be desirable, every birth will be safe and the potential of every young person will be exploited.
The United Nations Population Fund Procurement Partnership supports countries to strengthen their health systems to provide sexual and reproductive health services, including contraceptive options, to all people of reproductive age. The program is intended to cover 54 countries with high maternal mortality rates and unmet family planning needs.
With an additional €45 million from the European Commission, the United Nations Population Fund Procurement Partnership will help save and improve lives by providing modern contraceptives and life-saving maternal health medicines to women and adolescent girls who they need more.
The EU remains irrevocably committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as women’s rights, as enshrined in the European Consensus on Development and the Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Relations.
Fighting HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and better health for all
Earlier this week, at the seventh replenishment conference of the Global Fund held in New York, the European Commission announced a record new commitment to the Fund of €715 million for the period 2023-2025. The European Union and its Member States are a major donor to the Global Fund, with combined commitments of more than €4.3 billion for the period 2023-2025, which testifies to the strong commitment of “Team Europe” to the Global Fund to the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
In just 20 years, the Global Fund Partnership has saved 50 million lives and reduced the number of deaths from these three diseases by more than half. However, malaria alone still kills a child almost every minute.
In 2023-2025, the Global Fund aims to save an additional 20 million lives, prevent more than 450 million infections, reduce the mortality rate from HIV, tuberculosis and malaria by 64% and build a healthier and fairer world, including through investments to strengthen health systems and community networks.
Global financing for biodiversity
The president’s announcement of €7 billion in investments to protect biodiversity globally is a tangible follow-up to her commitment last year to double biodiversity funding for 2021-2027, particularly for the most vulnerable countries. Today’s announcement comes at a critical time ahead of the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity in December in Montreal to adopt a global framework for biodiversity.
The European Union and the Member States have begun to implement this commitment. For example, with the NaturAfrica initiative, the EU supports partner countries in Africa to combine nature protection with socio-economic development. The EU’s contribution to the African Union’s Great Green Wall initiative is another example of supporting a mosaic of green and productive landscapes across a range of Sahel and Horn of Africa countries, from Senegal to Djibouti and Somalia . Through the ‘Regreening Africa’ project for the ecological restoration of Africa, the EU is supporting the restoration of one million hectares, benefiting 500,000 households in Mali, Niger, Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Rwanda.
The Commission is also implementing and expected to sign this year the first forest partnerships aimed at supporting partner countries in the sustainable management, protection and restoration of their forests for the benefit of their people and long-term development.
George Fellidis
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