EU announces historic €715 million for the Global Fund to save millions of lives from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the European Commission announced a new record €715 millionfrom the EU budget tothe Global Fund for the period 2023-2025 at the Fund’s Seventh Replenishment Conference, hosted by US President Biden in New York. Together with the pledges from EU Member States, Team Europe confirms its strong commitment to the Global Fund with a total contribution of more than €4 billion for the period 2023-2025. The Global Fund, an international partnership to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, has already saved 50 million lives in the last 20 years. The new contribution is in addition to the €150 million made available this year from the EU budget for the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) to help countries cover the costs of personal protective equipment, diagnostic tests and therapeutics.

Announcing the EU’s new pledge for the period 2023-2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “After joining forces to fight COVID19, we need to get back on track to defeat other deadly diseases. The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is helping to save millions of lives. This is why we will increase the EU’s contribution to the Global Fund to €715 million. This will be a lifeline for millions more and will help deliver better health for all”.

Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, added: “The EU has been a strong supporter of the Global Fund since it was set up in 2002 and we are massively stepping up in the next years with this historic 30% increase in our contribution. We are helping the world get back on track in the fight against three deadly diseases and strengthen health systems to better respond to future pandemics and other illnesses. The EU’s commitment to better health for all will be further demonstrated in our upcoming EU Global Health Strategy, as part of the Global Gateway, which will be launched later in the Autumn.”

Building a healthier, more equitable world

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

Of the US$18 billion, US$6 billion would be invested in strengthening health systems and community networks. This would significantly enhance the Fund’s role in supporting the efforts of countries to build more people-centred and integrated systems for health, better able to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats.

Background

When the Global Fund was created 20 years ago, HIV, TB and malaria seemed unbeatable. But with science, adequate resources, and effective global collaboration, even the deadliest diseases can be forced into retreat. In just 20 years, the Global Fund partnership has saved 50 million lives and cut the death toll by more than half.

Beyond its mandate to end AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Global Fund is a leading player in the fight against COVID-19. The Fund became the first provider of financial support to low and middle-income countries for everything but vaccines. Through its COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), the Fund supports countries in covering the costs of personal protective equipment, diagnostic tests, and therapeutics. The EU has announced €150 million for the C19RM.

The European Union and its Member States, as Team Europe, are a major contributor to the Global Fund. For the Sixth Replenishment of the Global Fund 2020-2022, the European Commission pledged €550 million. With the new pledge of €715 million, the total contributions 2001-2025 by the European Commission to the Global Fund come to €3.5 billion.The 2001-2022 contributions by the EU and its 27 Member States to the Global Fund come to US$21.2 billion.

This pledge is part of the European Commission’s strong engagement to advance global health, which includes bilateral and regional support to health systems in partner countries and to other global health initiatives such as the World Health Organisation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Financial Intermediary Fund for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, among others.