The United Kingdom has committed £850m to the eighth replenishment for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
While it is a welcome, vital, addition to the replenishment, it represents a 15 percent cut on the UK’s previous contribution of £1bn in 2022 and is the lowest pledge from the UK since 2010.
“The Global Fund is one of the largest global health financing mechanisms and has proved its impact time and again,” said James Tibenderana, Malaria Consortium’s Chief Executive. “This reduced commitment from the UK Government represents a retreat from leadership at precisely the time when bold investment is most critical. Decades of hard-won progress against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS are at risk. The tools to end the devastating effects of these diseases exist; what we need now is the political will and financial commitment to deploy them at scale.”
Combined with recent cuts to funding for global aid, which left many health programmes across the world without the required funds necessary to continue, this reduced commitment threatens to stall progress in eradicating malaria and other diseases. This could have potentially devastating consequences for millions of people, particularly those with limited access to healthcare, such as hard-to-reach, migrant, mobile and marginalised communities.
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New research from Malaria No More UK and the African Leaders Malaria Alliance projects that a 20 percent reduction to the Global Fund’s overall budget could lead to 82,000 additional deaths by 2030 because of a resurgence in malaria — a figure that could rise to a 330,000 additional deaths by 2040.
As rising risks converge with real opportunities to end these diseases, this step back from the UK government represents a missed opportunity to fully harness the Global Fund’s scale and strengths. The emphasis of this replenishment cycle has been on the Fund’s ambitions in strengthening health systems, closing health equity gaps and tackling the fallout of climate change, all of which will be essential for malaria prevention, control and, ultimately, elimination.
Germany’s pledge of €1bn at the World Health Summit in Berlin last month sent a powerful message: investing in the future of global health is more than just a financial commitment — it is a moral imperative. Prioritising global health and stronger systems is an investment in long-term resilience and preparedness.
Now, more than ever, the global health community must remain forward-looking in its vision to sustain progress against malaria and other diseases. The resources exist to eliminate malaria — now is the time to mobilise the political commitment required.
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