AHF Lauds Donors for Pledging $13 billion to the Global Fund

AHF invites China to pledge the final $100 million needed to reach
the $13 billion target

MONTREAL–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AHF
today applauded the Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and donor
countries for reaching the fundraising target of $13 billion for the
Fifth Replenishment Round, which will fund lifesaving treatment and
prevention programs for millions of people around the world through
2019. At the conclusion of the replenishment meeting in Montreal, $12.9
billion USD had been formally pledged, although contributions from
outstanding countries that had not yet committed will still be accepted
and strongly encouraged.

Despite many competing social and development priorities vying for
funding, which in recent years has become scarce, increases in GFATM
pledges from large donors like the European Commission, Germany, Japan,
France, the UK and the United States demonstrate that the global AIDS,
TB and malaria responses remain a leading development priority that
demands continued funding. The pledges also serve as a vote of
confidence for the effectiveness and impact of programs funded by the
GFATM.

In 2015, AHF rolled out a global advocacy campaign called “Fund
the Fund” with the chief aim of ensuring the success of the Fifth
Replenishment Round, and specifically urging large donors such as
Germany, Japan and China to increase their contributions. The
long-running advocacy effort included grassroots demonstrations in front
of embassies in over 20 countries, a letter writing campaign,
advertising campaigns and meetings with embassy officials and high-level
decision makers around the world.

“We are very proud of having played a role in helping the Global Fund
reach its funding target of $13 billion. This was a truly global effort
for AHF that ran the gamut from a procession of tuk-tuks wrapped in
‘Fund the Fund’ banners going from embassy to embassy in Phnom Penh to a
large demonstration and march in Berlin in front of the Parliament, to
meetings with embassies of donor governments in Kathmandu, Lima,
Pretoria, and much, much more,” said Loretta Wong, AHF Senior
Director of Global Advocacy and Policy. “While we were only a part of a
much larger global movement working on replenishment advocacy, successes
like a larger contribution from Germany— which increased its
contribution from Euro 600 million to Euro 800 million—show that
concerted advocacy indeed works.”

On the eve of Germany’s increased pledge, AHF ran an ad in the German
newspaper Allgäuer Zeitung urging the Federal Minister of Economic
Cooperation and Development, Gerd Müller to increase Germany’s
contribution to €800 million. Earlier that same month, AHF country
program directors from over a dozen countries sent appeals to Germany,
urging it to contribute more.

AHF Europe Bureau Chief Zoya Shabarova was excited to hear about
Germany’s decision to up its contribution. “This is excellent! I think
AHF’s voice was heard in the EU through AHF advocacy meetings at German
Embassies globally, lobbying in Den Haag at the Ministry and at
Parliament,” she said.

“This is a very significant victory for AHF and our Fund the Fund
campaign. The donors have declared that getting AIDS, TB and malaria
under control is still very much a priority, but our advocacy doesn’t
end here,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF President. “We laud the
United States, European Commission, France, Great Britain, Germany,
Japan and others who have either increased or maintained their
contributions, but one donor remains conspicuously absent despite being
the second largest economy in the world and that’s China. We will
continue advocating until China contributes its fair share to the Global
Fund. The Replenishment may be over, but countries can still make
contributions afterward; also it’s critically important that down the
road pledges translate into actual contributions and that all
commitments are fully met, so our advocacy will continue.”

“We also now call on the Global Fund to ensure the most efficient and
effective use of these critical new resources and that these funds are
directed to efforts to end or fully control these three diseases and not
succumb to pressure from some donors to possibly divert resources to
other uses when the evidence of the favorable health impact of Global
Fund funding on AIDS, TB and Malaria is overwhelming,” added Dr.
Jorge Saavedra, AHF’s Global Public Health Ambassador and former
Head of the National AIDS Program of Mexico (SENSIDA). “Lastly, we
invite China to be a hero in this Global Fund replenishment cycle by
contributing and covering the $100 million gap to bring this
replenishment up to $13 billion.”

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS
organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over
600,000 individuals in 37 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn
more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org,
find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth
and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare
and Instagram: @aidshealthcare

Contacts

AHF
Denys Nazarov, Associate Director of Global Policy
+1-323-308-1829
work
+1-323-219-1091 mobile
denys.nazarov@aidshealth.org
or
Ged
Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications
+1-323-308-1833 work
+1-323-791-5526
mobile
gedk@aidshealth.org