Global Fund Report Shows 20 Million Lives Saved
01 September 2016
GENEVA – Programs supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have saved 20 million lives, according to a report released today.
The Global Fund Results Report 2016, with cumulative results through the end of 2015, shows there have been one-third fewer deaths from AIDS, TB and malaria in the countries where the Global Fund invests. The Global Fund partnership, which brings together governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by the diseases, is on track to reach 22 million lives saved by the end of 2016.
“These figures represent what’s possible when partners from around the globe come together to fight these three diseases,” said Mark Dybul, the Executive Director of the Global Fund. “At a time of global social and economic upheaval, this is proof positive that when we unite behind bold, ambitious goals we can transform lives and build more just societies.”
Programs supported by the Global Fund, which are designed and implemented by local experts, provided 9.2 million people with antiretroviral therapy for HIV, 15.1 million people with testing and treatment for TB, and 659 million mosquito nets to prevent malaria. As a result of prevention and control interventions in more than 100 countries, Global Fund-supported programs averted 146 million new infections from the three diseases since 2012 alone.
Since the peak of the crisis in 2005, the number of deaths caused by AIDS has declined by 45 percent in the countries where the Global Fund invests. The number of deaths from TB declined 31 percent between 2000 and 2015 in countries with Global Fund-supported programs. The number of deaths caused by malaria declined 50 percent in the countries where the Global Fund invested between 2000 and 2015; with continued support, 21 countries could eliminate malaria by 2020.
“These results show the incredible dividends the Global Fund partnership is paying back – now we need to increase our effort to reach the people most at risk and end the epidemics for good,” said Dr. Dybul.
On September 16-17, Canada will host a Replenishment Conference in Montreal that will gather world leaders and decision-makers to set funding for the next three years. The Global Fund has set a target of raising US$13 billion – an investment that is expected to save an additional 8 million lives.
The Global Fund’s shared financing requirement stimulates domestic investment in health, which helps ensure the gains are sustainable and builds shared global responsibility for health. The report says, to date, countries supported by the Global Fund have committed an additional US$6 billion to their health programs for 2015-2017 compared to 2012-2014, an increase of 41 percent.
With affected countries in the lead, and with the majority of funding for these programs now coming from domestic sources, the Global Fund can further accelerate progress together with all partners in global health.