13 May 2022
GENEVA – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria applauds the decision by New Zealand to contribute NZ$8 million to the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM). The new funding will help provide lifesaving diagnostic tests, treatments – including medical oxygen – and personal protective equipment (PPE) to low- and middle-income countries.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the NZ$8 million contribution at the second Global COVID-19 Summit. It is part of an additional commitment by the New Zealand government of NZ$10 million to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator) – a groundbreaking collaboration of global partners to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, PPE and vaccines.
“We warmly welcome New Zealand’s new contribution, which will support low and middle-income countries to access the testing, treatments and other critical supplies they need to respond to the pandemic and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on essential services,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “This additional contribution demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to collective action to end the pandemic as soon as possible, for everyone, everywhere.”
A critical part of the comprehensive approach to defeat COVID-19, testing is one of the most effective tools to track or contain the spread of the virus, address urgent clinical needs, test the efficacy of vaccines, or detect the emergence of new variants. Together with ACT-Accelerator partners, the Global Fund has contributed to providing more than 155.2 million COVID-19 tests to low- and middle-income countries to date.
Through C19RM, the Global Fund is the primary channel for providing grant support to low- and middle-income countries for COVID-19 tests, treatments (including medical oxygen), PPE and critical elements of health systems strengthening.
A key supporter of the Global Fund in the Pacific region, New Zealand pledged NZ$2.5 million for the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment, covering 2020-2022.
The Global Fund will hold its Seventh Replenishment conference in the United States in the second half of 2022, aiming to raise US$18 billion to restore progress against AIDS, TB and malaria amid COVID-19 disruption. The conference will convene leaders from governments, civil society, the private sector and communities affected by the three most devastating infectious diseases.