Historic news in NYC, on the road to $18 billion

Photo: The Global Fund/Terri Diamond

Today in New York City, I just watched world leaders make the biggest investment in history to stop AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

One after another, presidents and ministers announced their pledges to the Global Fund. At the end, President Biden came to the podium to announce the total committed so far – a historic $14.25 billion. I could feel each of you in the RESULTS network in that room today, seeing the outcome of your work unfolding on stage.

This year alone, RESULTS advocates met with Congress on the Global Fund more than 200 times. You helped convince 230 members of Congress to endorse a bold pledge from the White House. And you got published in the media from Alaska to Texas to Pennsylvania, adding to the more than 2,500 media pieces RESULTS volunteers have published supporting the Global Fund since it was founded.

Our full goal for this campaign is $18 billion, which means we are not there yet. But the total so far doesn’t yet include the UK or Italy, who both promised to announce their pledges soon. And the UK has historically been one of the single largest donors to the Global Fund. That’s why the other part of President Biden’s speech is so important – the U.S. is matching every $2 from other donors with $1 from the United States, up to the $18 billion total. This goal is still within reach, and we aren’t stopping!

Read the press release: Work still to do to reach $18 billion

At the event I was seated with our advocacy partners from all around the world, who have been moving their own governments into action. Today dozens of governments from every continent stepped up in a big way – from Japan to Germany to Kenya to Canada, increasing their pledges by a full 30% or more.

Unfortunately some donors failed to show the same ambition today. We aren’t letting them off the hook. And with Italy and the United Kingdom saying they plan to make pledges in the future, we are going to make sure that they do!

As I write this, we know that millions of people are still being denied access to the prevention, treatment and care that is their right. The epidemics are driving people into poverty and claiming lives.

We still have a long way to go. The communities directly affected by the epidemics are leading the way, and the global community has to stand behind them. Thank you for everything you do to make sure that happens.