A letter was sent to the Prime Minster of the Kingdom of Norway, H.E. Mrs Erna Solberg.
For the Fifth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) in 2016, Kingdom of Norway pledged NOK 2,000,000,000 to the Global Fund for the 2017 – 2019 allocation cycle.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a key priority of the Norwegian Government. Education with a focus on girls and global health remain key priorities of Norwegian official development assistance (ODA) and Kingdom of Norwayidentifies four cross-cutting issues for its development policy including human rights, women’s rights and gender equality, climate change and the environment, and the fight against corruption among which, gender equality is a top focus. Global Fund priorities complement Kingdom of Norway’s effort to promote gender equality and ensure global health. Not only does Global Fund invest in the global HIV, TB and malaria responses but its investments also promote gender equality and addresses human rights barriers through its grants. The Global Fund insists on the meaningful engagement of women throughout the design and implementation of the programmes it funds and has a strong focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and also contributes towards strengthening and sustaining community systems for effective advocacy and interventions leading to resilient and sustainable systems for health. Global Fund grants support comprehensive sexuality education and programmes to address gender-based violence and also provides funding for education and economic empowerment programmes for adolescent girls and young women, who are disproportionately affected by HIV. Increased investments in the Global Fund will ensure that all these efforts are fast-tracked to achieve SDGs related to gender equality, global health and anti-corruption.