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Last Wednesday at international development questions APPG member Oliver Colvile MP led the session and called on the Secretary of State to do everything possible to ensure the Global Fund’s replenishment target is met as a minimum.
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The shadow Secretary of State, Kate Osamor MP, also spoke about the importance of the Global Fund to ending the TB epidemic.
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The transcript of the session is available here: http://bit.ly/29jh82j
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The questions follow a series of activities by the APPG including: a backbench debate in January; a panel discussion with the Minister of State, Sir Desmond Swayne MP; and a roundtable with the APPGs on HIV & AIDS and on Malaria & NTDs which featured the founding Executive Director of the Global Fund, Sir Richard Feachem, and the current Executive Director, Mark Dybul.
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The Fund’s replenishment conference taking place in September is an incredibly important moment for the Global Fund, which provides over three quarters of all international finance to the fight against TB. The Fund has a remarkable record, having saved over 17 million lives and treated over 13 million people for TB. Notwithstanding this, TB re-emerged as the world’s leading infectious killer last year.
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Without renewed commitment, the targets of the Global Plan to End TB and the Global Goals’ target to end the epidemic by 2030 will not be met. Indeed, at the current rate of progress, it will take at least 150 years to end TB rather than 15.
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With this in mind, other international donors have already stepped up, increasing their contributions by over 20%, and it is important that the UK to does likewise – that means a contribution at this replenishment of £1.2 billion, or a 14% share of the total ask for international donors.
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