Global Fund Partners Pledge Record Level of Support to End Deadly Diseases, Prevent Future Pandemics
The GlobalfundSep 21, 2022
On Wednesday, a donor conference on the sidelines of the UN's annual General Assembly raised a record $14.25B for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. World leaders seek to fight the deadly diseases after progress was delayed by the COVID pandemic.
The fund started in 2002 and seeks $18B for the next three-year funding cycle from governments, civil society, and the private sector. Before Wednesday's conference, it had already raised more than a third of this total.
Although the job is far from done, the conference was a huge success and an encouraging display of global solidarity. The world has demonstrated that HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis can be defeated through science, leadership, and a critical mass of resources. This latest development should be celebrated.
While this is a step in the right direction, unfortunately, it isn't enough. Even when the UK and Italy make their pledges, the total will likely not meet the planned target — a failure that will mean fewer screening campaigns, fewer treatments, less funding for community health centers, and less strengthening of health systems.
There's a 21% chance that the number of people globally living with HIV/AIDS in 2037 will be at least 36.9M as per the median estimate from UNAIDS, according to the Metaculus prediction community.