WASHINGTON — The ONE Campaign released the below statement following the signing of the year-end spending deal, which includes Congress’s commitment to fully fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the passage of the Global Fragility Act.

Tom Hart, North America executive director at The ONE Campaign:

“This year, leaders from both parties in Congress stepped up U.S. leadership in the fight against extreme poverty. Despite the Trump Administration proposing massive cuts to global AIDS programs, Congress stood together to maintain America’s historic commitment to PEPFAR and fully-fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. It’s this leadership that will help save 16 million more lives and bring us closer towards ending the scourge of these diseases.

“To end extreme poverty, we need to better help people living in fragile states where roughly 80 percent of the world’s poorest will live by 2030. The Global Fragility Act will retool America’s development strategy to focus on crisis prevention, not simply response. This approach is an important step that will help save lives and create a better future for those living in extreme poverty. And because our nation’s safety is closely tied to stability around the world, combating violence in fragile states — as this bill will help do — is vital to our national security.

“These victories, which took place in such an incredibly difficult legislative climate, are a testament to both the bipartisan commitment in Congress to end extreme global poverty and the important work that remains to achieve it.”

About the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

On October 10th, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, one of the most effective global health partnerships on the planet, held its 2019 replenishment in Lyon, France. The organization announced a historic $14 billion in commitments from donors around the world to fight AIDS, TB and malaria. As part of that announcement, the United States committed to funding the Global Fund for three years at $1.56 billion annually, maintaining America’s historic one-third commitment to the Fund. Together, with funding from other international donors and the private sector, the Global Fund will help save 16 million lives by 2023. Learn more about the current state of the global AIDS fight here.

About the Global Fragility Act of 2019

The number of people living in extreme poverty is increasingly concentrated in countries struggling with violence and instability. The Global Fragility Act would direct USAID, the State Department, and the Department of Defense to work together to develop 10-year strategies for reducing fragility and violence in several fragile and conflict-affected countries by addressing their root causes. The bill calls for the selection of priority countries in a minimum of five geographic regions, and for strategies to include local and civil society participation, and to have strong monitoring and evaluation systems. This legislation would give the United States government the tools it needs to do development in more difficult settings and more effectively reach some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

For more information, or to speak with an expert about the legislation, contact Sean Simons at [email protected].