Donors have just met in The Hague to discuss the impacts, efficacy, and future resource needs for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (the Global Fund) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI).
ONE has long championed the transformational impact these mechanisms have had. Both the Global Fund and GAVI are even more critical now, as we enter the last stretch to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline; if the Global Fund and GAVI are not fully financed during the next three years – the period covered by the Fund’s replenishment cycle—the MDGs will not be met and the mechanisms will be unable to scale up their life-saving work.
“We know these mechanisms are effective and cost-effective,” said Josh Lozman, ONE’s Chief of Staff and Senior Global Health Policy Advisor. “Only if they are fully financed between now and 2015 can we eliminate malaria as a major public health problem in the world, ensure no child is born with HIV, and prevent more than 4.2 million future child deaths through vaccination. In spite of the economic climate, investments in these mechanisms will allow us to achieve major milestones in global health.”
Both mechanisms have achieved impressive results through their partnership together and with donors, recipient countries, and civil society:
- Global Fund-supported programs save an estimated 3,600 lives every day. The Global Fund supports anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS for 2.5 million people, treatment for tuberculosis for 6 million people, and bed nets to prevent malaria for 104 million people.
- GAVI-supported work has averted an estimated 5.4 million deaths by vaccinating more than 257 million children.
The Global Fund will hold a pledging conference in October 2010 during which donors will commit to funding levels for the next three years; GAVI’s funding will be decided through annual budget processes in donor countries. Full funding of these two mechanisms is one of ONE’s top priorities and will be the focus of campaigning efforts during this year.
