Opinion

  • 14 February 2024
    Conflict and Climate Change Are Supercharging Malaria, But It Can Be Stopped

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, and Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP

    The link between climate and the spread of malaria is well-acknowledged. As the planet warms, the threat posed by this ancient killer will only increase. We are already seeing signs of that future. In 2022, Pakistan experienced its worst malaria out...
  • 12 January 2024
    Pandemic or Not, Medical Oxygen Remains Essential

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    Among the most shocking images from the COVID-19 pandemic were of people gasping for air, unable to breathe, their blood oxygen so severely depleted that some died in ambulances lined up outside hospitals. In wealthier countries, there was a panicked...
  • 12 December 2023
    Celebrating Universal Health Coverage In Nigeria

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, with over 200 million people. It’s a vibrant country full of entrepreneurial energy and talent, but it’s also a country affected by poverty and disease. Almost 90 million Nigerians live in extreme poverty. So...
  • 08 December 2023
    Q&A with Patrick Alain Fouda, Member of the Global Fund Youth Council
    Patrick Fouda is a 27-year-old Cameroonian organizer and social entrepreneur who is on the way up. When he was 23, he was inspired to co-found the Cameroon Network of HIV-positive Adolescents and Youth (RECAJ+) to respond to the social inequalities a...
  • 02 December 2023
    Against A Foe As Formidable As HIV, Anything Less Than Victory Is Creating A Future Problem

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    With another World AIDS Day behind us, we reflect on the nearly 40 million people who have lost their lives to this terrible disease. Yet we should also recognize the extraordinary progress we have made in combatting HIV and AIDS. Since 2002, in coun...
  • 02 December 2023
    Ending AIDS Among Children Can Be An Inspiration Toward Ending All Preventable Deaths Among Children

    By Chip Lyons, President & CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund

    In a world where those with less power and privilege are often forgotten, the welfare of children stands out. Even though they cannot advocate for themselves, or perhaps because of this, the world hasn’t done enough to stop preventable deaths among c...
  • 01 December 2023
    We Must Not Let Climate Change Derail The Fight Against Malaria

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

    The world is at a defining moment in the fight against malaria. After years of rapid advances against the disease, progress stalled around 2015. Since then, the malaria community has faced a cascade of challenges, including drug and insecticide resis...
  • 01 December 2023
    Communities Affected by HIV Will Write the Last Chapter of the Disease

    By Dr. Vuyiseka Dubula, Head of Community Rights and Gender, the Global Fund

    Dramatic changes have shaped the fight against HIV in the last 20 years. Highly effective antiretroviral therapy existed at the turn of the millennium – but only in rich countries. For people living in low- and middle-income countries – like my home ...
  • 28 November 2023
    Climate Change Could Cause a Malaria Upsurge in Africa. We Need to Act
    The French association Élus Locaux Contre le Paludisme (ELCP) is sounding the alarm about the increased risk of malaria on the African continent due to climate change. The group is calling for international solidarity and urging France to step up its...
  • 17 November 2023
    As the Climate Crisis Escalates, Building Resilient Health Systems Is Imperative

    By Hon. Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, MP, Minister of Health, Malawi

    When torrential rains from Cyclone Freddy unleashed a flood in Malawi earlier this year, the extreme weather event claimed more than 1,000 lives and upended the livelihoods of millions of people. The floods also swept away a wealth of essential healt...