Since its creation, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria has supported local organisations around the world to reduce the number of deaths from the three diseases drastically, as well as working to strengthen health systems globally. This work is all the more important in the face of crisis, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine launched on 24th February 2022.

Prior to the outbreak of war, the Global Fund already invested $850m in Ukraine, where HIV and TB rates – particularly multidrug-resistant TB – are some of the highest in Europe. Global Fund investments have helped to reduce new HIV infections to around a third of the number in 2002, and almost halved the number of people living with TB. Additional funding has been mobilised from within the Global Fund to ensure that, through the course of the war, people living with HIV and TB are still able to receive the support they need and to reduce the spread of infectious diseases across the region. 

This report sets out the critical importance of ambitious commitments from key donors like the UK for the Global Fund. Continued funding will support both long term health systems strengthening, particularly for vulnerable groups, women and girls. as well as providing adaptable, community-centred funding in the face of crises like the ongoing war in Ukraine. This is why the UK Government must commit £1.8 billion at the Global Fund’s upcoming replenishment in September. This report highlights the urgent need for this funding through the eyes of those people most directly affected – people living with HIV and TB across the country. 

Image source: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria