[Yokohama, Japan, 27th August 2019] Global Fund Advocates Network Asia-Pacific (GFAN AP) appreciates and commends Germany and Italy for their major increase of pledges to the Sixth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria (Global Fund). German Chancellor, Angela Markel and Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte announced their renewed commitments to the Global Fund, respectively EUR 1 billion and EUR 161 million to the Global Fund on 25th of August 2019, during the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France.
Germany and Italy have been strong supporters of the Global Fund partnership since its inception in 2002. Germany, as the fourth largest donor of the Global Fund, has so far invested over EUR 2.7 billion to the fight against the three diseases through the Global Fund while Italy has contributed more than EUR 971 million since 2002.
“The increased pledges from Germany and Italy for the Sixth Replenishment of the Global Fund demonstrate the faith Germany and Italy have placed on the Global Fund’s ability to fight AIDS, TB and malaria to reach the 2030 goals. The contributions from Germany and Italy and other donors will not only accelerate the fight against the three diseases, they will also contribute towards strengthening and sustaining community systems for effective advocacy and interventions leading to resilient and sustainable systems for health”, said Dr Khuat Thi Hai Oanh, Chair of GFAN AP Steering Committee and Executive Director of the Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI) in Vietnam.
Germany is the second-largest donor country, spending USD 25 billion on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2018. Fighting infectious diseases is one of the key focus areas of the Germany’s ODA. In its development policy, Germany is committed to realising the human right to good health and well-being for all, and has therefore made the fight against HIV, Tuberculosis, malaria, polio and other communicable diseases a key objective.
Italy is the eighth-largest donor country, spending USD 5 billion on official development assistance (ODA) in 2018. Health has been a priority for Italy’s development policy in the past, and has been reaffirmed as a strategic priority. Universal access to healthcare and gender equality are key focus areas of Italy’s development cooperation which are also priorities of the European Consensus on Development.
“The Global Fund has played a critical role to ensure that vulnerable and marginalized communities including the key populations are at the centre of the responses for HIV, TB and malaria. These contributions from Germany and Italy will support the Global Fund to ensure that communities and civil society remain at the centre of the health response and for the three diseases”, said Asghar Satti, National Coordinator of the Association of People Living with HIV (APLHIV) and member of the Country Coordination Mechanism (CCM) in Pakistan.
This year, the Global Fund embarked on its Sixth Replenishment process to raise at least USD 14 billion which will contribute towards saving 16 million lives, cutting the mortality rate of HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria in half, and contribute towards stronger health systems by 2023. The unwavering support of Germany and Italy towards Global Health and the role of communities and civil society in Global Fund programmes through the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment will present us with an opportunity towards the acceleration of progress towards SDG 3 through building and strengthening resilient systems for health; reinforcing health security; spurring domestic investment of USD 46 billion; tackling inequalities in health including gender and human rights related barriers to access; and yielding a return on investment of 1:19 with every dollar invested.
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Global Fund Advocates Network Asia-Pacific
The Global Fund Advocates Network Asia-Pacific (GFAN AP) is a platform of community and civil society advocates for a fully funded Global Fund. It supports community and civil society mobilisation in the areas of increased domestic financing for HIV, TB and malaria responses; increased donor contributions towards the Global Fund; and ensuring that policy frameworks on health financing take into account community, rights and gender issues. Please visit www.gfanasiapacific.org for more information or contact Rachel Ong (based in Singapore), Regional Coordinator at rachel.ong@gfanasiapacific.org, or Niluka Perera (based in Colombo, Sri Lanka), Communications and Coordination Officer at Niluka.perera@gfanasiapacific.org