D-Day in Lyon for global mobilization against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis

The French president will try Thursday to mobilize economic, cultural and political actors to obtain wide funding to the Global Fund to fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Goal $ 14 billion minimum: Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday in Lyon the amount that can be spent by the Global Fund to fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with the ambition to eradicate these three infectious diseases by 2030.

"We must accelerate: It is 14 billion that we aim," said the French president Wednesday evening at the start of the refinancing conference that brings together 700 participants, including many Africans.

To reach this sum, against 12.2 billion dollars at the last conference, a significant effort is asked of the richest countries. After the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany or Canada, France, historically the second largest contributor, should announce an increase in its participation.

France "will not only continue to be a major donor but will increase its commitment," said Emmanuel Macron on TMC's Quotidien.

A group of 12 civil society organizations, including Aides, Oxfam, Solidarité sida and Sidaction, called for "an increase in the French contribution of at least 25%" .

This increase, which corresponds to 270 million more than the 1.08 billion currently paid by France, is, according to them, the only way to reach the goal set Thursday.

France has not raised its contribution since 2010.

Mr Macron is to make public the new financial commitments of France at 9 am and the total amount collected should be communicated late morning.

Since the Fund's inception in 2002, "extraordinary work has been done" with "32 million lives saved," which "is huge," the head of state told the participants. But "we do not have the right not to go further" , at the risk of seeing the three major pandemics rise again, he added to seven African presidents, diplomats and scientists.

Bill Gates Dollars

Currently, the three major pandemics kill nearly three million people a year, including 1.6 million for TB in 2017 and more than 435,000 for malaria. By 2018, nearly 38 million people were living with HIV and the number of infections, of the order of 1.7 million, "remains unacceptable," according to the Fund.

US billionaire Bill Gates, the fund's largest private donor, beat him by raising $ 600-700 million from his foundation for the next three years.

Judging the goal of 14 billion "very ambitious" , however, Mr. Gates has tabled in front of the press on a "significant increase of more than 10%" compared to the previous fundraising, which he would consider "a great success " .

"Any extra dollars we receive, or any euro, or yen, or book will be extremely useful," said the former boss of Microsoft.

In addition to the 32 million lives saved since its creation, the Fund indicates that in countries where the Global Fund invests, 18.9 million people were on antiretroviral therapy for HIV in 2018, 5.3 million were tested and treated for HIV. Tuberculosis and 131 million mosquito nets were distributed to protect families from malaria.

Share this article