Global Fund Statement on International Investment in Global Health
24 July 2015
The Global Fund partnership recognizes that a vigorous debate about international investment in global health is important, including scrutiny and questioning by the news media. But facts matter.
The Global Fund is a highly effective partnership of governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector and people affected by AIDS, TB and malaria. The partnership invests nearly $4 billion a year in programs that prevent, treat and care for people affected by the three diseases.
Tremendous progress has been made. The world has met the Millennium Development Goal of reversing the rate of malaria and reducing its incidence. The number of people dying from malaria has dropped by nearly half since 2000. A major reason for that accomplishment is mosquito nets. More than 548 million nets have been distributed, which are a tremendous tool toward malaria prevention and together with other prevention tools and treatment have significantly reduced the number of infections and deaths from the disease.
Through efforts by global health partners, the cost of medication for HIV has been reduced from $10,000 a year to less than $100 a year in about a decade, allowing 8.1 million people to access antiretroviral treatment for HIV and stay alive through Global Fund-supported programs.
The number of tuberculosis cases detected and treated through Global Fund supported programs have reached 13.2 million people. Millions of lives are saved each year through treatment for tuberculosis.
The Global Fund’s resources are spent where they are most needed, directly in communities, and for people affected by the three diseases. The Global Fund’s annual operating expenses, including staff costs, are $286 million a year (about 2.3 percent of grants under management), which reflects a high degree of efficiency. In ongoing work to be as cost-effective as possible, the Global Fund is planning to move to a new office in 2017 to save money. Rental costs will be more than 40 percent lower than the current office, and with potential for further savings through shared services with other organizations in the Health Campus. The Global Fund will not contribute any money to the construction of the building.
HIV, tuberculosis and malaria – diseases that are preventable and treatable – continue to kill millions of people around the world. But global health partners have made remarkable gains against these diseases. Advances in science, such as today’s announcement of a potential new malaria vaccine, and better implementation of programs present the world with a historic opportunity to end the three diseases as epidemics. The Global Fund partnership – the women and men worldwide who devote their lives to this cause – keeps a strong focus on achieving this milestone.