Global Fund Eighth Replenishment statement

This Global Fund Replenishment was a pivotal moment for the world to reaffirm its commitment to ending the three diseases, in a year when donor funding cuts have threatened that goal. France, Japan and the European Commission are yet to put a figure on their pledges, but the replenishment outcome underlines how critical it is that these key donors uphold their commitments to the Global Fund.

The Global Fund must ensure that no one is left behind in the region, and that funding from the Eighth Replenishment prioritises and strengthens community responsesDr Amira R. Herdoiza, Executive Director, Kimirina, Ecuador

The Global Fund Board and eligible countries will now move into deliberations on prioritisation of investment in the next grant cycle. Frontline AIDS and our partners, who make up one of the largest civil society partnerships implementing Global Fund grants in countries around the world, are clear that investments now need to go to the communities that are at the centre of the epidemic, many of whom face criminalisation and marginalisation. 

As the replenishment conference closed, Mohamed Motala, Executive Director of South African organisation NACOSA, a major implementer of Global Fund programmes and the country’s longest serving civil society principal recipient of Global Fund support, called for “continued investment in the coordination of public and community systems and the capacity of the organisations and people working on the frontline of the HIV response.” 

In Latin America, Frontline AIDS partner Kimirina has been implementing Global Fund programmes to reach key and migrant populations in Ecuador and addressing stigma and discrimination. Dr. Amira Herdoiza R, Executive Director of  Kimirina called on the Global Fund “to ensure that no one is left behind in the region, and that funding from the Eighth Replenishment prioritises and strengthens community responses.” 

Dr. Pramod, Chief Executive of Alliance India, one of the country’s largest Global Fund implementers of community-led health systems  strongly believes that “while reduced pledges may limit the ability to expand or sustain these community-centred approaches, the right investments can help to maintain momentum by prioritising strong community systems, flexible funding, and programmes that place key populations and people living with HIV at the centre of the response.” 

In Côte d’Ivoire, young people represent 35% of the population and face the largest number of new HIV infections and children continue to be born with HIV. Frontline AIDS partner, Alliance Côte d’Ivoire is the principal community and civil society recipient of Global Fund grants for HIV and TB programs.

Dr Madiarra Coulibaly-Offia, Executive Director of Alliance Côte d’Ivoire responded to news of the replenishment. “We must encourage the Global Fund to maintain community engagement to address the challenges faced by young people and to strengthen actions on the resilience of the community health system. Supporting countries in diagnosis, case treatment, supply systems and the purchase of commodities are also investments on which the Global Fund brings real added value in the current context of resource constraints.” 

The next three years will prove to be a critical period for the Global Fund to double down on its commitment to putting communities at the centre. We congratulate the Global Fund on its replenishment efforts and urge its board and leadership to ensure that investment from the Eight Replenishment will be directed to the communities who are at the centre of the epidemics. In the words of Cecilia Lodonu-Senoo, Global Fund Board member at the Eight Replenishment conference “Communities and civil society know the gaps and know how to close them. We live this reality every single day.”  

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Source for the Global Fund figures:
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/results