Malaria Consortium welcomes UK’s increased Global Fund commitment

Donors met at the fifth replenishment conference of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on 16-17 September in Montreal, Canada to pledge US$12.9 billion to fight the three targeted diseases. This historic financial commitment will contribute to saving eight million lives between 2017 and 2019, as governments, civil society and the private sector aim to accelerate progress against these killer diseases.

The UK’s commitment of £1.1 billion, a 10 percent increase on the previous pledge, includes £200 million of match funding to incentivise greater private sector investment in global health. Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel also announced a 10-point Performance Agreement, aimed at increasing the cost effectiveness and impact of the UK’s Global Fund investment. Malaria Consortium welcomes the UK’s investment, which reconfirms its leading role in the fight against malaria, and we support the Secretary of State’s focus on increasing the impact of UK Aid. 

Countries where the Global Fund is active have seen a decline of a third in the number of deaths due to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. However, the fight against the three diseases is at a tipping point: the excellent progress in reducing the number of infections and deaths from these diseases in the last 15 years must be consolidated and continued. If the current level of commitment lessens or levels off, the possibility of ending the public health threat of the three diseases by 2030 could easily be lost. The pledged $13 billion, however, will further the decline of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Malaria Consortium Chief Executive Charles Nelson said “The three years of the next Global Fund replenishment will allow the global community to build on past efforts and drive towards ending malaria within a generation. Malaria Consortium is delighted to share in delivering the UK’s contribution to this effort, through our work with some of those who are most vulnerable to malaria around the world. We look forward to continuing to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including the private sector, to defeat malaria and other killer diseases.”

Keywords: Elimination