Global Fund Shifts Focus to Poorest Nations Amid Funding Cuts

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, one of the largest health initiatives globally, plans to shift resources towards poorer countries amid dwindling foreign aid. With widening health inequities, the fund aims to secure $18 billion for its projects from 2027-2029.

As governments, particularly the United States, scale back aid, the fund's CEO Peter Sands expressed concerns about aid cuts impacting vulnerable areas like Sudan, which faces ongoing crises. Some countries have made significant progress against infectious diseases and are seeking domestic funding to offset these international cuts.

Sands stressed the moral obligation to assist regions burdened by poverty, conflict, and disease. Although record numbers gained access to treatment and prevention tools in 2023, the fund warned of an 11% average cut to grants if donor pledges aren't fully met. This funding shortfall currently stands at $1.4 billion.

(With inputs from agencies.)