[Lyon, France, 9th October 2019] Global Fund Advocates Network Asia-Pacific (GFAN AP) applauds the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway and the Kingdom of Sweden for the increased pledges to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), announced days before the Sixth Replenishment Conference. NOK 2.020 billion pledge from the Kingdom of Norway was announced by the Prime Minster of the Kingdom of Norway, Erna Solberg, on 29th of September, during the Global Citizen festival in New York, United States of America; the SEK 2.85 billion pledge of the Kingdom of Sweden was announced by the Minister for International Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Sweden, Peter Eriksson, on 3rd of October 2019. The latest pledge of DKK 350 million from the Kingdom of Denmark was announced on the 7th of October 2019.
“Nordic countries have been leading on promoting human rights and gender equality, including sexual reproductive health and rights; and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which are key priorities of their respective official development assistance (ODA) and key catalytic areas for robust responses for AIDS, TB and malaria. The renewed pledges from the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway and the Kingdom of Sweden to the Global Fund Sixth Replenishment indicate their strong commitment towards getting back on track the responses for the three diseases to achieve SDGs and ensure human rights, advancement of women’s rights and gender equality”, said Dr Khuat Thi HaiOanh, GFAN AP Steering Committee Chair and Executive Director of the Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI), Vietnam.
The Kingdom of Norway identifies four cross-cutting issues for its development policy including human rights; women’srights and gender equality; climate change and the environment; and the fight against corruption. Among its priorities, gender equality is a top focus. Kingdom of Sweden’s 2016 ‘Aid Policy Framework’ is strongly aligned with the SDGs and outlines eight focus areas including human rights, gender equality, health equity, education and research. Kingdom of Denmark is a strong advocate for the rights of women and girls. The work of Kingdom of Denmark relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights of women (SRHR) aims to ensure that women have the right and the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. The impacts of the Global Fund and its priorities complement the efforts of Nordic countries in promoting gender equality and ensuring global health.
“The announcements made by the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway and the Kingdom of Sweden of their pledges to the Global Fund, days before the Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund, reconfirm their resolution towards communities living with and affected by the three diseases. These pledges also demonstrate and reaffirm their roles and leadership in protecting the human rights of those most vulnerable and marginalized including keypopulations”, said Daniel Marguari, Executive Director of Spiritia Foundation – a Global Fund Principal Recipient for the HIV Component in Indonesia.
The Sixth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund will be hosted by the Government of the French Republic on the 9th and 10th of October in Lyon, France. The Sixth Replenishment process aims 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 the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom Norway and the Kingdom of Sweden towards Global Health and Universal Health Coverage through the Global Fund’sSixth Replenishment will present us with an opportunity towards the acceleration of progress towards SDG 3 through strengthening health care systems; 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 (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, Regional Coordinator (based in Singapore) at rachel.ong@gfanasiapacific.org, or Niluka Perera, Communications and Coordination Officer (based in Sri Lanka) at Niluka.perera@gfanasiapacific.org.