Global Laser Talk January 2012

Speaking Powerfully About Supporting the Global Fund

For its 10th birthday on January 28, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will have something amazing to celebrate. The fund assists 150 countries and saves 100,000 lives every month. This innovative fund has proven to be humanity’s most successful effort against these diseases of poverty.

Unfortunately, this birthday party isn’t going to be all cakes and candles. After a decade of successes, the Global Fund is in jeopardy. Donor delinquency has forced the fund to cancel funding for any new programs until 2014. This distressing news comes on the heels of promising new research that proves we can reduce transmission of HIV by 96% if we just start treatment early. 

The U.S. must fulfill its Global Fund pledge of $4 billion dollars by 2013, and we must urge other donor countries to do the same. People living with HIV/AIDS, battling tuberculosis, and suffering from malaria cannot wait until 2014. We must act now.