Reflections from the Global Fund Pledging Conference

The replenishment conference of the Global Fund just concluded in Montreal, and I had the honor of being there with colleagues from around the world. You, our dedicated volunteers, were there with me in spirit.

The outcome of the conference itself was just over $12.9 billion in resources for the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria over the next three years. This is a huge demonstration of global support and, especially, an incredible testament to the power of advocacy!

We need to take a moment to celebrate what we achieved, and also be clear that $13 billion is just the minimum we need in the next three years – a down payment toward ending these diseases, but not sufficient. Everyone has agreed that resource mobilization for the Global Fund must continue and that it will be critical to see increased bilateral investments in these diseases as well. Together we must build on this weekend’s achievement and do all that is possible to reach everyone and actually defeat these epidemics.

Our international partners all did extraordinary work in advance of the replenishment, working with leaders in Australia, Canada, the UK, France, Italy, the European Commission, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Zambia, and South Africa. And, as you’ll see, many donors increased their pledges over the last replenishment. Here is our collective response to the pledging conference as the ACTION partnership.

In the U.S., you helped mobilize deep bipartisan congressional support for the replenishment, including from over 1/3 of the Senate. You generated over 90 pieces of media in every corner of the country. And in Montreal, the U.S. government reiterated its pledge and reminded allies that we would match $1 for every $2 pledged by others, up to $4.3 billion. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom said: “We’re not just committed to fighting these epidemics: we’re committed to ending them.”

A big theme of the replenishment, along with “ending the epidemics for good”, was “leaving no one behind.” Global Fund Executive Director Mark Dybul spoke powerfully at an event on human rights the evening before the replenishment and said: “Today, these are diseases of those we have left behind,” reminding us that “we won’t end these diseases until we become a more inclusive human family.”

Thank you to all you have done to bring us to where we are today and for working together until we win the fight.