Republic of Finland

A letter was sent to  the Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Finland, H.E. Mr Ville Skinnari.

Since the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) in 2002, Republic of Finland has contributed USD 33,200,900 to the fight against the three diseases.

Republic of Finland strives to consistently support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in all its actions domestically and internationally. The priorities and implementation of the development policy of the Republic of Finland are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Republic of Finland’s main priorities include enhancing the rights and position of women and girls, and strengthening democracy and good governance. Advancing the rights and status of women and girls is one of the four key priorities of Republic of Finland’s development cooperation strategy and human rights is one of the 5 principles towards achieving sustainable results. The Global Fund priorities complement Republic of Finland’s development cooperation strategies with its investments promoting gender equality and addressing 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 devotes more than one-third of its funding to Health Systems Strengthening (over USD 1 billion per year). In addition, 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 human rights, gender equality and social justice including the related SDGs.