International
HIV/AIDS
10 Years of Lives Saved Through the Global Fund
In celebration of the Global Fund’s 10th anniversary, ONE Global Health Policy Manager Erin Hohlfelder reflects on the organization’s accomplishments over the years.
When I was ten, I was busy doing important things like mastering long division, practicing softball and rocking the plastic glasses/bowl cut combo. While I’m proud of those accomplishments, I have to say I’m even more proud today to honor all the incredible things that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has achieved in its first ten years of existence. To understand the Global Fund’s impact, it’s important to remember just how bad things were before it existed: Fewer than 50,000 Africans had access to AIDS treatment. Malaria was killing nearly 1 million people annually. Treating TB was considered too expensive for most of the developing world.
In late January of 2002, leaders came together in Switzerland to launch the Global Fund. Built to be what Kofi Annan called a “war chest” to respond to these global health emergencies, it had the backing of donors, public health officials, developing country leaders and NGOs. Intentionally, it was designed to be different than other aid models; it was rooted in having local stakeholders (rather than donors) say what they wanted to do to fight AIDS, TB or malaria, and how much money it would take to get the job done.
Though no aid model is perfect, the Global Fund has clearly been doing something right, because it has delivered incredible results over the last decade:
In delivering these services — often in partnership with aid efforts including PEPFAR and with national health systems — the Global Fund has helped change the global health landscape. Though they each still claim far too many lives, all three diseases are all on the decline globally. Now, the mantra has shifted from a “stop the bleeding” approach to a more hopeful, long term approach characterized by phrases like “we can achieve the beginning of the end of AIDS” and “we know how to end malaria deaths by 2015.” And, just as my own personal style has thankfully evolved from those outdated plastic glasses to contact lenses, the Global Fund has gone through its own strategic reforms in the last 12 months to become an even more targeted, efficient mechanism in the years to come.
SEE ALSO: The beginning of the end of AIDS
Funding — as always — remains a challenge. The Global Fund has said it is currently unable to fund new programs until 2014 due to a roughly $2 billion funding gap. Constricting global budgets, coupled with persistent whispers of corruption, are convenient excuses for donors to pull back on their contributions to these diseases. But the Global Fund has made the changes necessary to ensure that money invested in its programs will be monitored transparently, evaluated rigorously and directed toward specific outcomes. As a result, donors should feel confident that maintaining or increasing their contributions will go toward the achievement of bold new goals: saving 10 million lives and preventing 140 to 180 million new infections between 2012 and 2016.
Of all the aid projects I’ve been able to visit, the one individual who stands out most is a playful little girl named Madeline who I met at a Global Fund clinic in Ghana. She was born HIV-positive, but thanks to the Global Fund, her mother was able to access the antiretroviral treatment that will keep her alive and healthy. I get that 10 million lives saved through the Global Fund seems too overwhelming to conceptualize. So instead, I’d suggest we simply think of Madeline, and then think of all the other Madelines out there who, thanks to the Global Fund, will be able to grow up healthy and one day also master long division and practice softball like me. I just hope they all skip the bowl cuts!
Watch: 10 years of the Global Fund, 7.7 million lives saved
To celebrate 10 years of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria, they have launched a video celebrating some of their achievements over the last decade:
If you feel inspired, please share!
What’s ahead in 2012
2012 is a huge year in the fight against extreme poverty. There’s no other way to put it. And I wanted you to be the first to know our plans for the year.
You’re a core part of all that we do as ONE, and we’ll be in touch over the months ahead to ask for your support in:
- Fighting corruption and empowering African civil society, by supporting a European law forcing oil, gas, and mining companies to publish what they pay to governments in developing countries;
- Asking the UK government to keep their promise of spending just 0.7% of national income on international aid by 2013, and enshrine this in law;
- Making sure that our governments deliver on short and long-term solutions to help break the cycle of famine, and
- Stepping up our campaign to see the beginning of the end of AIDS by 2015.
Last year you helped persuade world leaders to fund vaccinations against two of the biggest killers of children under 5 – saving 4 million more children’s lives in 5 years.
Not only that, but G20 leaders heard your voices in calling for short and long-term agricultural solutions to help break the cycle of famine in the Horn of Africa. And that’s only some of what we achieved, together as ONE. Thank you.
Now in this even bigger year, you can do something today to help make our movement even stronger. Please watch our video, share it with friends online and invite them to join us too:
Thanks very much.
Fighting HIV/AIDS in Mauritius
Last week we marked World AIDs Day, our annual time for reflection and a recognition that the beginning of the end of AIDS is upon us. As we commemorate the strides that have been made in the battle against the disease since it’s discovery 30 years ago, it seems the perfect opportunity to present our next ONE award finalist, Prévention Information Lutte contre le Sida (PILS) in Mauritius and honour the progress that they have achieved in the battle against this indiscriminate disease.
Mauritius is probably not one of the African countries you would list in counting the likely candidates dealing with an HIV/AIDS problem, especially if your association of the country mirrors mine of beach, sun and palm trees! And yet PILS is an organization that has made great strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS by focusing on the parts of the population most affected by the disease and ensuring that their exclusion from care and prevention did not facilitate an epidemic in the country.
PILS was started by Nicolas Ritter in 1996 two years after he found out he was HIV positive. At the time there was no services in Mauritius for individuals with HIV/AIDS and he had to fly to neighbouring Reunion Island to get treatment. Inspired by what was happening in this neighbouring country, he decided to start PILS at the age of 25. At the time there were only about 140 cases of the disease in the country but without treatment it was pretty much a death sentence. By 2001, the number of known HIV positive cases had doubled to over 280 and Nicolas decided to be the first person to publicly declare his status. With a change of government in 2000, their advocacy efforts intensified and they were able to convince the new government to open the National Aids Centre. As a result of the strong advocacy by PILS, the government agreed to provide universal access to ARV’s.
Nicolas Ritter
In this same period, Mauritius had become a hub for heroine trafficking and the drug had hit the streets. In 2003, an explosion of HIV cases among drug users occurred and by 2005, there were over 2,000 cases in the country. In the same year, Mauritius was identified as the country with the highest opiate consumption in Africa (relative to population size) and the second highest in the world after Iran. Today 75% of HIV cases in Mauritius are among needle users.
To address these issues, PILS organized the first conference in Africa on opiates abuse and harm reduction, and has successfully drawn attention to the emerging issue of drug use in Africa and the consequent epidemic problems. Once AIDS is introduced in the drug user community it spreads fast. But thanks to PILS advocacy there has been a reduction of the rate of infection amongst injectable drug users. The organization recognizes that the groups most affected by this disease in Mauritius – commercial sex workers, men having sex with other men, and injectable drug users – could be stuck in a vicious cycle of vulnerability if they not supported.
PILS has lobbied for amendments to the drug act, which criminalized paraphernalia associated with drugs including needles, and prevented interventions such as a needle exchange program that could help address the problem. When the hard fought for HIV/AIDS Bill was introduced in 2006, it contained harmful provisions such as the criminalization of HIV transmission, but PILS was ready to mobilize and through its advocacy efforts and successfully had these provisions removed and replaced with language to protect HIV Positive cases.
PILS has also created economic empowerment programs to support HIV Positive individuals and the support groups that they convene encourage platforms for people to share their fears, hopes and dreams.
The PILS team
PILS has been instrumental in the introduction of important HIV/AIDS in Mauritius and has also ensured the amendment of legislation that could contribute to the worsening of the HIV situation on the small island. While there were many instances in the early days of their advocacy work that PILS had to go into direct opposition with the government’s position on HIV related matters, they now have a great working relationship and are a key partner of government in the fight against the disease.
PILS work has saved lives and that’s what keeps Nicolas and his team dedicated to their work. They know that HIV/AIDS doesn’t have to be a death sentence and more and more, the people of Mauritius know this too.
A big WELL DONE to PILS for all their hard work and we wish you the very best of luck!
Annie Lennox calls for the beginning of the end of AIDS
You’ve probably heard already, but if you haven’t: it was World AIDS Day yesterday. Organisations around the world have been campaigning today about the chance of bringing about the end of AIDS, not least ourselves at ONE who teamed up with (RED) and four (count them) presidents at our event in Washington DC.
One of our most vocal supporters in the fight against extreme poverty, Annie Lennox, has also added her voice to those calling for the beginning of the end of AIDS. Through her SING initiative she has raised over £1m since 2007. This money is used to fund programmes which help women and children living with HIV/AIDS and to work to educate people about the disease and how to prevent infection.
This World AIDS Day, the fourth anniversary of the launch of SING, they have released a very moving film which you can watch here about the effects of the AIDS pandemic and what can be done to help bring about the beginning of the end of this terrible disease.
ONE and (RED) have created a digital quilt to mark the beginning of the end of AIDS, and you can join the thousands others who have already created their panel by adding yours here too. It only takes 2 minutes.
The end of AIDS?
A new video by the Stop AIDS Campaign called ‘The End of AIDS’, speaks to people who are currently living with HIV. Some of them said that when they were diagnosed with HIV, there was nothing they could do about it, but when antiretrovirals (ARVS), drugs that are used to suppress the HIV virus and stop its progression, were introduced, one man stated “it wasn’t a question of whether we are going to give the treatment, but when.”
The same man remembers when he was first diagnosed on Christmas Eve 1986 and feeling very scared and hopeless, not knowing what his future would hold because at that time, there wasn’t anything he could do. Instead of being fearful, he was motivated by passion, a sense of urgency to continue fighting—he didn’t have anything left to lose. He didn’t stop fighting against HIV and given the immense progress that we have made, neither should we.
This video comes at an opportune time following the release of the 2011 UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report, after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s call for creating an AIDS free-generation, which this video reiterates and as we mark World Aids Day.
We have already made progress by lowering the rate of new infection as well as the number of AIDS-related death. For example, Sub-Saharan Africa where the majority of people living with HIV live, the increased use of ARVs, has seen a dramatic reduction in new cases. In fact, by providing ARVs, which have been shown to reduce HIV transmission by 96%, we have averted 2.5 million deaths since 1995, but we must not forget that there are still 34 million people living with HIV.
The stories and numbers don’t lie. Providing HIV treatment has made a difference.
30 years ago, a diagnosis of HIV was effectively a death sentence and now with HIV treatments available, many lives have already been saved, but we have the opportunity to save even more. However, it will require a renewed commitment from African leaders, other governments and the private sector.
While we have made many achievements in the past year such as adding 1.4 million people to treatment and achieving scientific breakthroughs in prevention technology, the number of new HIV infections is still alarmingly high. If we are ever going to achieve an AIDS-free generation as envisaged by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well as provide HIV treatment for 15 million people by 2015, then we must not stop here.
Live stream of ONE & (RED)’s World AIDS Day event
Today at 3pm GMT, ONE and (RED) are hosting an incredible World AIDS Day to highlight the progress that has been made in the last 10 years in the fight against global AIDS. US President Obama, ONE cofounder Bono, former US Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Alicia Keys and others will be in attendance. The event will be moderated by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. They’ll also be taking questions from ONE members, so be sure to stay tuned for the Q&A session at the end.
Watch the event in the player below, or go to our YouTube channel to watch it. We’ll be live-tweeting the event on our Twitter account, @ONECampaign, using the hashtag #endofAIDS.
ONE and (RED) launch the (2015)QUILT: A digital quilt to fight AIDS
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the discovery of HIV/AIDS. But this World AIDS Day –- December 1st — we’re commemorating it as a call to action to help bring about the beginning of the end of AIDS… and it starts with you.
We’re proud to announce the launch of the (2015)QUILT, a groundbreaking digital tool that brings people from all over the world together to fight for a historic achievement –- the delivery of the first AIDS-free generation in more than 30 years.
Watch our latest video and get started now:
It’s quick, easy, and fun to add your name to the digital quilt. And, you’re making a pledge with your panel, joining thousand of people from around the world who will call attention to fight for a bold plan to create an AIDS Free generation by 2015. Think of it as “creative advocacy.”
Once you’ve created your panel, you can download our Social Media Toolkit (or read it in the viewer below) and learn how you can help spread the word about your quilt panel. The toolkit will also link you to other resources that you’ll need to help in our campaign in the fight against AIDS.
The (2015)QUILT draws its inspiration from the internationally celebrated AIDS Memorial Quilt, which started in 1987 and contained more than 94,000 names and weighs 54 tons! The AIDS Memorial Quilt has been used to fight prejudice, to raise awareness and to transform apathy into advocacy and indifference into compassion. The (2015)QUILT will be a call to action to bring about the end of this deadly disease.
So get creative and get started now at 2015quilt.com and use your voice to pledge. Every generation is known for something. Let’s be the one to deliver an AIDS-Free Generation by 2015.
The Beginning of the End of AIDS
Is it possible that the success Africa has had, in managing and treating HIV/AIDS, reduced the sting of the HIV pandemic on the continent? The fact is, according to UNAIDS’ latest report, there are more people living with HIV today than there were 10 years ago. Approximately 34 million people live with HIV today, up 17% from 2001. In parallel, deaths from AIDS-related illnesses have decreased by 21% since 2005
This is chiefly because there is better access to antiretroviral drugs in sub-Saharan Africa, where 68% of all HIV cases worldwide are found. Gone are the gory images synonymous with AIDS, that often appeared in the 1990s to early 2000s, which left many with the sound conviction that contracting the HIV virus was as good as pronouncing a death sentence.
Much credit goes to Africa’s people, its governments and our international partners for sustained efforts in the relentless fight against HIV in Africa. A good example of such leadership among others is the government of South Africa — they are now financing as much as 80% of the antiretroviral medication for its people through its own health budget, bolstered by technical support from donors. Botswana achieved universal access to treatment in 2008, and since then has begun to see a further decline in new infections. The percentage of children born HIV-positive to mothers living with HIV in Botswana also declined from 21% in 2003 to 4% in 2010 — impressive progress thanks in part to sustained political leadership.
Today, 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have reduced new HIV infections by more than 25%, data shows that an HIV-positive person on treatment is 96% less likely to pass HIV on to others and clinical trials have proven that voluntary male circumcision reduces the risk of new HIV infection in men by roughly 60%.
These numbers tell a great story, but there are other numbers that could put to risk the great progress made by African governments, development partners and the private sector. UNAIDS statistics show that the availability of funding to combat HIV is generally on the decline while funding needed to fight the pandemic is increasing. According to UNAIDS, at the end of 2010 around US$ 15 billion was available for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries. Yet donor funding has been reduced by 10% from US $7.6 billion in 2009 to US $6.9 billion in 2010, and the Global Fund recently had to cancel Round 11 of grant-making due to insufficient or delayed donor funds.
This begs the question: How do you put millions of people on treatment, give them renewed hope, and then back off, knowing full well the catastrophic implications of such action?
We still have nearly 9 million HIV positive people who are still in need of treatment, 1,000 babies born with HIV everyday, and nearly two new people are infected for every one person put on treatment. This reminds me of what remains an indelible statement by Dr. Kihumuro Apuuli, director general of the Uganda AIDS Commission who said, “You cannot mop the floor when the tap is still running on it.”
For all the commitment and investment our governments and development partners have made much remains to be done if we are to make this period in history become the beginning of the end of AIDS. So what does this mean? Well, at ONE, we believe that, it means reminding ourselves to recommit to measurable goals. They include:
- Virtually eliminating mother-to-child transmission by 2015
- Accelerating access to treatment for 15 million people by 2015
- Implement innovative prevention techniques to drastically reduce new infections by 2015.
These goals are by no means new. World leaders have already committed to them in various international forums. If these commitments — including commitments to the Global Fund — are renewed, together, we can really begin to see the end of this pandemic.
A wake-up call in the fight against AIDS
An uneasy sensation, of the pit-of-the-stomach kind, spread among the activists and donors supporting the fight against AIDS this week. The Global Fund, the international partnership that channels money to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, announced it has been forced to delay applications for new programmes due to insufficient funding from donors. Instead it will have to focus its efforts on maintaining the current programmes. After a decade of huge leaps forward in the fight against AIDS, it is hugely concerning that progress may stall.
New figures from UNAIDS this week showed that in just one year we have added 1.4 million people to treatment. In 2003 only 100,000 people had access to life-saving antiretroviral treatment, now more than 6.6 million people do. This is in large part thanks to the work of the Global Fund which is responsible for a sizeable chunk of the global response to HIV and AIDS.
Despite this progress, nearly 8 million others are still waiting for life saving drugs and the number of new HIV infections remains high. And while effective treatment to prevent mothers passing on the virus to their babies is available, less than half of HIV positive women have access to it. A major push is still needed in order to turn the corner in this epidemic.
This year, for the first time, evidence shows us that it is possible to end AIDS within a generation. New research found that an HIV-positive individual on antiretroviral treatment is up to 96% less likely to transmit the virus to others. This news should give us reason to be more hopeful than ever that the fight against AIDS is one we can win. But this hope is being undermined by donors who are not meeting their promises to the Global Fund. In the past all pledges made to the donor fund have been delivered, but now this record is slipping. Some donors are not keeping their promises and others are delaying pledges. Now is the worst possible time for delays and broken promises.
There have been concerns about the Global Fund. It is true that the Fund identified a very small proportion of funds being lost. But the Fund has a zero tolerance policy for corruption. Suspected corruption is pursued aggressively, corrupt officials go to jail, steps are taken to reclaim funds and new safeguards are put in place. The Fund has also introduced a pro-active plan of action to address any remaining issues. The openness of the Global Fund and its commitment to deal with concerns head-on is something worth celebrating. And reforms agreed this week will make the Global Fund not just a life-saving global health institution but also a leading example of smart aid and transparency in practice. If donors had doubts, they should now have confidence.
Germany has responded to this development by releasing a commitment of $100m to support the Global Fund. Other donors now need to follow. And donors must commit to serious planning for an ambitious scale-up of efforts over the next couple of years, to ensure the Global Fund can reach many more people who need its help. We cannot afford to lose ground just when the beginning of the end of AIDS is in sight.
When the Global Fund was first established Kofi Annan said “the war on AIDS will not be won without a war chest”. That is still true today. The world needs the Global Fund and we need to fund it. This would be the worst time to falter.
This article first appeared on the Huffington Post UK website.
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
TAGS: Global Fund, HIV/AIDS, ONE, Policy News