This year the Global Fund continued its mission to end the world’s deadliest infectious diseases – AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.
Despite one of the most turbulent geopolitical and economic years in recent memory, the partnership came together at the Eighth Replenishment Summit in Johannesburg to reaffirm its commitment to sustaining the fight and saving millions more lives.
As we look back across the stories and milestones that defined 2025, we celebrate the unwavering dedication of the health workers, advocates and communities who stop at nothing to protect others. Their efforts remind us of what we can achieve together and the safer, healthier world we are building.
January – Digital Solutions Help Catch and Contain Outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Early in the year, we met frontline health workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where disease detection can be especially difficult. Decades of conflict, displacement and weak health systems have left the country vulnerable to repeated outbreaks, including cholera, Ebola, measles, COVID-19 and mpox.
To help detect and contain outbreaks before they spread, the Global Fund is supporting the government to digitize the national disease reporting and early alert system. Health workers use a digital application to record new cases in the communities they serve. This data is transmitted to provincial authorities and then to the National Centre for Epidemiological Intelligence in Kinshasa.
Supervising nurse Basoki Ipeke and community health worker Bomela Malco showed us how this technology is enabling a faster response to stop outbreaks from escalating.
The Global Fund/Vincent Becker
February – Dmytro and Yulia Face the Frontlines of War to Deliver Lifesaving Care in Ukraine
Ukraine faces a high TB burden, including one of the highest rates of drug-resistant TB in Europe. The war has severely damaged health systems, and many communities have been cut off from care.
In February, we met Dmytro and Yulia, who are often the only lifeline for people in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Despite extreme danger, they lead the mobile health teams that continue to deliver essential health services, standing among Ukraine’s last lines of defense against the spread of deadly disease.
Their story reflects the resilience and solidarity of health workers worldwide who risk everything to protect the most vulnerable.
March – Champa and Rekha: Fighting TB Through Fear and Floods in Bangladesh
To mark World Tuberculosis Day, we visited Champa Tidakar, a community health worker in Bangladesh, who brings TB care and essential health services to people in her community.
When Cyclone Remal tore through Bangladesh in 2024, rising floodwaters threatened to cut her community off from care. Despite the danger, Champa continued delivering TB services and lifesaving medicines door-to-door. Her friend and neighbor, Rekha Goldar, remained by her side throughout the crisis. Their story captures the unbreakable spirit of frontline health workers who stop at nothing to protect vulnerable communities from both infectious disease and the growing impacts of extreme weather events.
April – Nigeria Deploys the Latest Tools to Prevent Child Deaths From Malaria
On World Malaria Day, we spotlighted the health workers who are using next-generation tools to prevent child deaths from malaria in Nigeria. In Kaduna State, the Global Fund supported an integrated campaign to reach 8.1 million people with dual active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets and provide 2.2 million children under 5 with seasonal malaria chemoprevention.
The campaign was a massive logistical effort. Nearly 11,900 community mobilizers delivered medicines, distributed nets and helped families access lifesaving protection. The entire operation was digitalized using an application that enabled real-time tracking of supplies, deliveries and staff training.
The scale of the effort in Kaduna shows how combining innovation, strong partnerships and community leadership saves lives at scale.
May – Strengthening Global Health Security Around the World
In May, the impact of Global Fund investments in global health security came into sharp focus. The Global Fund commits billions each year to build resilient health systems in more than 100 countries – to detect, track and contain infectious threats before they spread.
Investments in disease surveillance, laboratory networks and digital reporting tools enable countries to respond to emerging outbreaks faster and more effectively. In a connected world, a local outbreak can quickly become a global crisis. Robust health systems are therefore essential to protecting populations and stopping threats before they escalate.
From Index Case to Pandemic, see how four key phases mark the spread of an infectious disease – and how the Global Fund is helping keep us all safe.
The Global Fund/Jiro Ose
June – An Invisible Line of Defense in Asia-Pacific
In the summer, we visited the Asia-Pacific region to see how laboratory workers form an invisible line of defense against disease, protecting millions of people.
The Global Fund is supporting the Regional Public Health Laboratory Network, which is strengthening laboratory systems in 14 countries by improving the speed, accuracy and availability of diagnostics. This enables faster detection of disease outbreaks and more coordinated responses across borders.
Global Fund investments are being used to train 250 laboratory technicians from 12 countries in essential skills, who will then train others in their home countries. Their vigilance, through early detection and rapid response, is critical to preventing future pandemics.
July – Bolstering Early Warning Disease Detection Across West Africa
Our commitment to global health security took us to West Africa, where the Global Fund is working with partners through the West African Regional Laboratory Initiative to strengthen disease surveillance and laboratory systems across the region.
These efforts build on a proven regional model developed in Senegal: the Sentinel Syndromic Surveillance System. Launched more than a decade ago by Senegal’s Ministry of Health and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, the system uses real-time syndromic data and laboratory confirmation to detect emerging health threats early and enable rapid public health responses.
Through the Initiative, the Global Fund is working with partners to expand this model across West Africa, including in Guinea-Bissau, Benin, Sierra Leone and Togo, with plans to include Burkina Faso in 2026.
The Global Fund/Brian Otieno
August – Ethiopia’s Health Extension Workers Transform Community Care
Ethiopia has achieved an incredible health transformation over the past two decades. In the early 2000s, Ethiopia’s health system was under-resourced, with high maternal and child mortality, limited access to services and widespread communicable diseases.
Then the country began prioritizing investments in health – including a major expansion of the health workforce, from 46,000 people in 2007 to nearly 500,000 in 2024, including 42,000 community health workers. While health challenges remain, these investments have delivered major gains: A child born in Ethiopia today is nearly three times more likely to survive to their fifth birthday than a child born in 2000. And under-5 deaths from AIDS, TB and malaria have dropped by 71%.
We met health extension workers Aberu and Tizta, who have been central to this progress, bringing essential care directly to communities.
September – The Global Fund Partnership Has Saved 70 million lives
Our Results Report highlighted important gains across all three diseases, while also issuing clear warnings about stalled progress and emerging threats.
Since 2002, our partnership has reduced the combined death rate from AIDS, TB and malaria by 63%. With more than 70 million lives saved to date, the Global Fund delivers impact at scale, but lifesaving advancements depend on sustained global commitment.
The Global Fund/Le Fonds mondial/Andrew Esiebo
October – Dr. Bintou and Fanta: United Across Generations to End AIDS in Mali
In the fall we traveled to Mali to meet Dr. Bintou and Fanta, two women united by an unshakable commitment to ending AIDS.
A pioneer in the fight against HIV, Dr. Bintou established one of the country’s first HIV clinics, expanding access to lifesaving treatment. Fanta now continues that mission, bringing lifesaving services to communities and supporting people living with HIV.
With a clear understanding of how hard-won every gain has been, Dr. Bintou remains deeply optimistic that an AIDS-free generation is possible. This story highlights the importance of local leadership and sustained investment in HIV services to finish the fight against AIDS.
November – Partners Gathered for the Eighth Replenishment Summit in Johannesburg
In November, the Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment Summit marked an important milestone in our collective mission, bringing renewed momentum to our global partnership at a critical moment for global health. Co-hosted by South Africa and the United Kingdom, the Summit highlighted the core principles that define our work: solidarity, sustainability, innovation and equity.
Leaders from governments, civil society, communities, multilateral and bilateral organizations and the private sector came together with a shared purpose to secure the investments needed for lifesaving programs and to deepen our impact around the world.
The Global Fund/Quintin Mills
The Global Fund/Brian Otieno
December – Eswatini: A Small Kingdom Setting A Big Example On HIV Prevention
Eswatini closed the year with a historic milestone: the arrival of the first shipment of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, developed by Gilead Sciences. This drug could redefine how people protect themselves from infection.
As one of the first countries to roll out this breakthrough tool, Eswatini demonstrated what is possible when innovation, leadership and partnership come together – a fitting end to a year defined by grit, determination and hope.