EU announces EUR 715m for global fight against AIDS, TB and malaria
Malaria mosquito - Image by 41330 on Pixabay
(NEW YORK) - The European Commission announced Thursday a new record EUR 715 million from the EU budget to the Global Fund, an international partnership to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU's new pledge for the period 2023-2025 at the Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference, hosted by US President Biden.
"After joining forces to fight COVID19, we need to get back on track to defeat other deadly diseases," she said: "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."
Together with the pledges from EU Member States, Team Europe confirmed its strong commitment to the Global Fund with a total contribution of more than €4.3 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.
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.