Opinion

  • 10 November 2023
    To Prevent the Next Pandemic, Follow the Science

    By Marisa Peyre, Co-founder and Global Science Adviser, PREZODE, Justin Vaïsse, Founder and Director General, Paris Peace Forum, and Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical role of evidence-based policies in addressing global health crises. It has also highlighted the need for flexible strategies, equitable health care, and multidisciplinary approaches that bridge the g...
  • 07 November 2023
    In the Fight to End Tuberculosis, This Is the Moment for Progress

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    Tuberculosis is rarely in the spotlight. But behind the scenes it’s one of the top infectious killers in the world. In 2022 alone, TB killed over 1.3 million people, including 167,000 people with HIV — that’s a staggering 25,000 deaths every week. De...
  • 07 November 2023
    Taking a Smart Approach to Making Medicines in Africa Will Save Lives

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    COVID-19 shone a harsh light on global health inequities. Africa was last in the queue for all the lifesaving tools needed to defeat the new virus, including vaccines, tests, oxygen and personal protective equipment. Yet this is not a new phenomenon...
  • 21 September 2023
    Stopping Malaria From Killing Children is a Matter of Urgency

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    I was in Kano, an ancient city in the north of Nigeria recently, visiting health facilities with Nigeria’s impressive new health minister professor Muhammad Ali Pate. This week I’ll be in New York, along with the leaders of nearly 200 countries and m...
  • 19 September 2023
    For the Fight Against HIV, TB and Malaria, a Moment of Reckoning

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    The heads of state and government from nearly 200 countries gathering this week in New York for the United Nations General Assembly must confront the stark reality that the Sustainable Development Goals are in dire jeopardy. This year marks the midpo...
  • How the global fight against HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria is an opportunity for India’s pharmaceutical industry and other private-sector companies.
  • 14 July 2023
    Japan’s Fight Against TB Can Be a Roadmap for Pandemic Preparedness

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    In March this year, I visited Japan for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although I have been to the country several times before, every time I walk Tokyo’s vibrant streets I am still struck by the sheer volume of people who live, work and...
  • 29 June 2023
    Pop-Up Booths to the Rescue in the Fight Against TB in Kenya

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    In August 2022 Josphat Muoki, a father of four from Nairobi, Kenya, discovered he had TB when he stopped at a pop-up screening station on a busy pedestrian bridge over Nairobi Central Railway Station. The bridge links the city and the industrial zone...
  • 16 June 2023
    It’s Time to Overcome Gender Inequality in the Fight Against HIV

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    Last year I met a woman called Shani Ally in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Shani leads a full life as a mother, wife and small-business owner. She has also been on HIV treatment for more than 20 years. That treatment has kept her alive and prevented the t...
  • 25 May 2023
    One Mozambican Woman’s Fight Against Malaria – “the Devil” That Took Her Husband’s Life

    By Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund

    “Malaria is the devil that came to my house,” Celina Tembe says softly, her hand touching the head of her 3-year-old daughter, Manuela Manuel. In August last year, her 35-year-old husband, Manuel Maxaieie, came home late from work as a machine operat...