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Global Fund Welcomes Italy’s €140 million Contribution

07 April 2017

GENEVA – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria welcomed a contribution of €140 million from the government of Italy for the three-year period beginning in 2017, a strong demonstration of Italy’s leadership in global health.

The contribution, an increase of 40 percent over Italy’s last contribution of €100 million, was first announced at the Global Fund’s Fifth Replenishment conference in September 2016, where donors pledged over US$12.9 billion in a demonstration of extraordinary global commitment toward ending the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Pietro Sebastiani, Director General for the Italian Foreign Ministry’s Development Cooperation, said the contribution underlined Italy’s commitment to work with the Global Fund partnership to accelerate the end of the three diseases while building resilient and sustainable systems for health.

“The Italian Government, together with the Global Fund, is firmly committed to reach the objective of a humanity free from AIDS, TB and malaria: Our contribution for 2017-2019, the highest of the Italian Development Cooperation through the multilateral channel, confirms our steadfast support to the Global Fund and its mission,” Sebastiani said.

Over the next three years, programs supported by the Global Fund are projected to save 14 million lives, bringing the total to 36 million by the end of 2019. Those programs are also projected to avert up to 194 million new infections or cases of HIV, TB and malaria, catalyze US$35 billion in domestic finance for health, and drive US$230 billion in economic gains. 

Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund, thanked the Italian people for its generosity and vision.

“Italy has been a key partner of the Global Fund since the beginning,” Dr. Dybul said. “By making the right investments in health, we can end epidemics that affect the lives of millions of people in low- and middle-income countries and promote equality and social justice.”

Italy has been a supporter of the Global Fund since it was established in 2002 to accelerate the end of the epidemics. It has also played a key role in shaping major Global Fund policies, including advancing human rights, transparency and investing in complex or challenging countries.