Global Fund Announces Record-High Funding Allocations To Countries To Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

After collecting a windfall of nearly US$14 billion in donor commitments in October, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, on Wednesday published its blueprint to distribute most of the money to over 100 low- and middle-income countries worldwide, saying that allocations will increase by 23% over the next three years.

Nigeria, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo are set to receive the largest awards with over $US 890 million, $US 751 million and $US 644 mllion respectively. according to the  allocation plan published on the Global Fund website. Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, India and Zimbabwe would receive allocations of $US 500-US $600 million each,  followed by grants ranging from tens of million to several hundred million dollars each to other qualifying African, Asian and Latin American countries, as well as Russia and former Soviet Union states. The allocation amounts represent threshholds against which countries then apply for final funding in one or all of the disease categories.

The country allocations total some US$12.71 billion, the agency said in a press release, adding, “The funds will help save 16 million lives, cut the mortality rate for the three diseases in half and get the world back on track to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030.”  In addition, countries can also apply to a separate fund of US$890 million for so-called “catalytic investments” that aim to scale up specific aspects of HIV and TB prevention or treatment, as well as strengthening health services overall.

French President Emmanuel Macron (center), and Microsoft’s Bill Gates, (far right), stand triumphantly with other Global Fund partners and supporters at the end of the successful Replenishment Drive in October that collected nearly US$14 billion in commitments.

Most eligible countries will receive funding increases, the Global Fund said. Countries in Africa are receiving around US$2 billion more than in the previous period, and countries in West & Central Africa have the biggest increase – US$780 million. Worldwide, there are 32 countries with an increase of 40% or higher.

Allocations to individual countries are calculated using a formula that is predominantly based on each country’s disease burden and economy, and then further adjusted to account for “important contextual factors”, the press release stated.

The aim is to drive funding to: “higher burden, lower income countries, specifically accounting for HIV epidemics among key and vulnerable populations, the threat of multidrug-resistant TB, and for the risk of malaria resurgence.” On the other end of the spectrum, the Global Fund aims to provide “sustainable and paced reductions where funding is decreasing” in middle and upper middle income countries that have made significant inroads in reducing disease but still require support.

“World leaders came together at our Replenishment and made commitments to step up the fight to end these epidemics by 2030,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, in the press release. “Now the real work begins. Our allocations will allow partners to expand programs that work, and to find innovative solutions for new challenges. In addition to more money, we need better collaboration and more effective programs.”

The Global Fund’s 2020-2022 allocation methodology is geared toward increasing the overall impact of programs to prevent, treat and care for people affected by HIV, TB and malaria, and to build stronger health systems, the press release stated. “The allocations provide significantly more resources for the highest burden and lowest income countries, while maintaining current funding levels or moderating the pace of reductions in other contexts.”

The allocations include increased investments in Eastern and Southern Africa for HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women; more funding for the countries with the highest burden of TB in Africa and Asia; continued investments in Eastern Europe to cover the costs of treatment for multidrug-resistant TB; more funding for African countries with a high burden of malaria, and increased focus in the Sahel region to boost vector control and seasonal prevention campaigns.

The full list of allocations is available on the Global Fund website, along with a detailed explanation of the allocation process. In the next step of the funding process, countries convene coordinating committees to prepare and submit funding requests to the Global Fund for review and approval of the grant allocations, which may be disbursed to government as well as non-governmental funding recipients and partners.

 

Image Credits: The Global Fund.

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