Civil Society and Community Open Letter to the G20
You can download the letter here.
To the leaders assembled in Bali,
The global fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, is at a turning point. The world has set itself the ambitious target, enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals, of ending the three diseases as epidemics by 2030. We have made tremendous progress. In the twenty years since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has supported programs that have saved over 50 million lives and gotten us ever closer to our 2030 targets. This would not have been possible without the commitment of the donors of the Group of Twenty, who have contributed the large majority of the funds that made these advances possible.
COVID-19 has also put at the forefront the leadership of the G20 in pandemic response, and the Global Fund and its implementing partners were able, when the pandemic hit, to pivot rapidly and provide services to support the G20’s objectives. Indonesia built onto the work of the Italian G20 Presidency by fostering collaboration within the group in key areas, including the establishment of the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response Financial Intermediary Fund (PPPR FIF). The PPPR FIF is creating new opportunities for investment in pandemic preparedness, and will be able to channel more funding to entities which, like the Global Fund, have been pillars of the response to COVID-19 and have a long record of investment for impact.
The Global Fund new strategy includes an evolving objective on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and a Feb 2021 analysis in the Lancet showed that over a third of the Global Fund’s investments support global health security. As a key partner and implementing agency of the ACT-A, the Global Fund led the way in securing close to an additional $5 billion in funds for its COVID-19 Response Mechanism. These funds were used to support countries acquire and utilize COVID-19 diagnostics and other tools, and greatly contributed to the level of support, access to diagnostics and treatments and broader surveillance they had during the pandemic.
The response to tuberculosis was especially heavily disrupted by COVID-19, because of a range of factors including overlap in symptoms and control tools. The G20 Ministry of Health meeting in late October, in view of that fact, reiterated once again the need to increase funding to fight tuberculosis among its six key actions. The Global Fund accounts for 70-80% of all external financing for tuberculosis program, making it the largest external funder for the disease, and needs to be given the means to support country to get back on track towards the 2030 target.
Disruptions caused by COVID-19 affected malaria and HIV/AIDS programs as well. Because of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we lost ground in 2020, for the first time since the creation of the Global Fund. Testing, treatment, and prevention for HIV declined, and, most tragically, deaths from tuberculosis and malaria have increased. In 2021, the disease trajectory of most countries improved as Global Fund program were able to adapt to the pandemic; and yet in many places we still have to make up for the progress lost, as shown in the Global Fund 2022 Results Report.
On September 21st 2022, the United States hosted in New York the Pledging Conference for the 7th Replenishment. The Global Fund raised $14.25 billion, an unprecedented amount, but one that falls short of both need and expectations. It is simply not enough for the Sustainable Development Goal targets to be met, and for the Global Fund’s new strategy to be fully implemented. Many of the 20 million lives, that could be saved if the target of $18 billion had been reached, are once again at risk. Until we reach that target, our work is not done.
The Pledging Conference was marked by ambitious, decisive pledges who met – or far, far exceeded, as of the Republic of Korea – the target of a 30% increase from the 6th Replenishment pledges. As representatives of civil society and affected communities, we are immensely thankful. Other countries, marking their rising influence on the world stage and commitment to achieving collective development targets, made their first pledges to the Global Fund. Indonesia, befitting its role as President of the G20, rose to the occasion and became one of these first time donors.
Indonesia was the only first time donor among the G20 in 2022. Of concern, both China and India, who had pledged in 2019, did not return, signaling an apparent lack of interest in collective leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Now, the world is about to turn its attention to the nations of the G20 meeting in Bali on November 15th & 16th, with health high onto the agenda. It is time to remedy the missed opportunities of New York and put us back on track.
As representatives of affected communities and committed health advocates, we ask:
- That the United Kingdom and Italy, who announced that commitment would be forthcoming, pledge early enough to ensure that their funds can be included in the Global Fund country allocations.
- That India and China reclaim their role as leading nations in Global Health and commit to pledge, and increase their pledges in line with the rest of the G20.
- That Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, who have not been/become regular contributors to the Global Fund use the platform of the G20 meeting to make ambitious first pledges.
Signed by the civil society and community organizations listed below:
|
Organization |
Country |
|
Africa Japan Forum |
Japan |
|
Aid Organization |
Bangladesh |
|
Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) |
Global |
|
AIDS-Fondet (The Danish AIDS Foundation) |
Danemark |
|
Association For Promotion Sustainable Development |
India |
|
BAHAM Foundation |
Pakistan |
|
Bengal Network Of People Living With HIV/AIDS |
West Bengal |
|
Botswana Network of AIDS Service Organizations |
Botswana |
|
Coalition of women living with HIV and AIDS |
Malawi |
|
Community Health Empowerment Forum |
Eswarini |
|
Disability Peoples Forum Uganda |
UGANDA |
|
Empowered At Dusk Women’s Association |
Uganda |
|
Girls Advocacy Network-Ghana |
Ghana, West Africa |
|
Global Fund Advocates Network |
Global |
|
Global Health Italian Network |
Italy |
|
Good Health Community Programmes |
Kenya |
|
Grassroots Development & Empowerment Foundation |
Nigeria |
|
HivNorway |
Norway |
|
Hope for Future Generations |
Ghana |
|
Impact santé Afrique |
Africa |
|
India Working Group for Health Advocacy |
India |
|
Indian Drug Users’ Forum |
India |
|
Indonesian Harm Reduction Network |
Indonesia |
|
Innovations for Development (I4DEV) |
Uganda |
|
IPPF |
India |
|
IWG |
India |
|
Karitas Sani Madani Foundation |
Indonesia |
|
KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation |
Global |
|
Kuboresha-Africa Limited |
Uganda |
|
LHL International Tuberculosis Foundation |
Norway |
|
National coalition of people living with HIV in India |
India |
|
NCPI+ |
India |
|
Network of TB Champions |
Kenya |
|
Network of TB Champions kenya |
Kenya |
|
PATH |
India |
|
Princess of Africa Foundation |
Africa |
|
R2H Action – Right to Health |
United States |
|
Results Australia |
Australia |
|
RWS – India’s diverse Chamber |
India |
|
Senderos Asociación Mutual |
Colombia |
|
Spiritia |
Indonesia |
|
STOPAIDS |
United Kingdom |
|
Tanzania Health Promotion Support |
Tanzania |
|
Telugu Network of people Living with HIV/AIDS (TNP+) |
Andhra Pradesh, India |
|
Touch by TB |
New Delhi |
|
Voluntary Health Association of Tripura |
India |
|
Volunteer work with Gujarat State Netwrok of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GSNP+) |
India |
|
Zankli Research Center |
North Central Nigeria |
|
Zankli Research Centre Nigeria |
Nigeria |
|
ZCCT |
Zimbabwe |
|
Zvandiri |
Zimbabwe |