News Releases

Canada Steps Up Fight Against Epidemics with a Major Increase to Global Fund

22 August 2019

GENEVA – The Global Fund warmly welcomed today’s announcement by Canadian Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Maryam Monsef, of a new pledge of CAD 930.4 million to the Global Fund for the next three years. The new pledge – representing a 15.7% increase from Canada’s previous pledge – is a tremendous investment in global efforts to end the epidemics of HIV, TB and malaria.

The Hon. Minister Monsef made the announcement in a global health meeting in Toronto.

“We know that most vulnerable groups, including women, adolescent girls and children, are particularly affected by AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as a result of poverty and gender inequality. This is why Canada is stepping up the fight against these diseases,” said Minister Monsef. “Canada strongly believes that the best way to end these epidemics is through broad and innovative partnerships such as the Global Fund, to reduce the barriers preventing millions of people to have access to detection, prevention, treatment and care. Together, we can end these epidemics for good. ”

Canada is a founding member of the Global Fund and has contributed more than US$2.2 billion since 2002. As host of the Global Fund’s Fifth Replenishment Conference in September 2016, Canada brought leaders from around the world to Montréal to raise funds and support the Global Fund’s efforts to end HIV, TB and malaria. At the conference, Canada pledged CAD 804 million, a 24% increase from its previous pledge.

"Yet again, Canada has demonstrated outstanding leadership in global health – especially in sexual and reproductive health and rights, a key priority for the Global Fund," said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. "We are tremendously grateful to the people of Canada and to Prime Minister Trudeau for the unwavering support for the fight against HIV, TB and malaria. Together, we can end these epidemics by 2030."

Canada is a global leader in promoting gender equality, investing in sexual and reproductive health and rights, championing the rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people and all vulnerable populations, and in promoting and protecting human rights. The Global Fund shares these goals and invests strongly in them. For instance, the Global Fund has increased its investments in adolescent girls and young women fivefold in the 2017-2019 period to address disproportionately high HIV infection rates in this group. The Global Fund invests about one-third of its resources in providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care (including the cost of HIV treatment), linking HIV services with reproductive health services, newborn and pediatric care, and adolescent care. These investments have improved the quality of and access to health care for women, adolescent girls and children, which is a key goal that Canada and the Global Fund share.

“This new contribution by the Canadian people will save many lives across the world, including in my own country,” said Loyce Maturu, an HIV treatment advocacy officer with Africaid Zvandiri – a community-based organization in Zimbabwe, who attended the announcement of the new pledge in Toronto. “Canada is one of the best examples of how global solidarity can help us ensure that we leave no one behind in our efforts to end HIV, TB and malaria epidemics and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The Global Fund is providing intensive support to 20 countries to vastly scale up evidence-based programming to reduce human rights-related barriers to HIV, TB and malaria services. The Global Fund provides 20% of all international financing for HIV programs and has invested US$20 billion in programs to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS as of the end of June 2019.

The Global Fund partnership has saved more than 27 million lives, and provided prevention, treatment and care services to hundreds of millions of people, helping to revitalize communities, strengthen local health systems and improve economies.

In October 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron will host the Global Fund's Sixth Replenishment Conference in Lyon. The Global Fund has set a target for raising at least US$14 billion for the three-year cycle of funding. A successful Sixth Replenishment will equip the Global Fund partnership to save 16 million lives, cut the mortality rate from HIV, TB and malaria in half, and build stronger health systems by 2023. In addition, every US dollar invested in the Global Fund will have a return in broader economic gains of US$19, and of US$2 in direct productivity gains.

Photo: Flickr / Shawn Kent