New commitment increases the Foundation's
support to US$30 million (2020-2025)
for the Global Fund's efforts to save lives, build resilient and
sustainable health systems, and strengthen pandemic
preparedness
NEW
YORK, Sept. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Rockefeller Foundation announces it will commit US$15 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria ahead of the Fund's Seventh Replenishment
Conference on Wednesday, September
21. This year, the Global Fund partnership aims to raise
US$18 billion to protect hard-fought
gains against these infectious diseases in the face of Covid-19 and
to finance ongoing projects through 2025.
"Fifty million people are alive today because of the Global
Fund's work to fight HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria,"
said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah,
President of The Rockefeller Foundation. "As Covid-19 and other
crises continue to undermine progress against these and other
public health threats, The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to
recommit to the Global Fund so it can restart progress and finish
the job."
This year, The Rockefeller Foundation's Global Fund pledge will
finance the Laboratory Systems Strengthening Catalytic Fund, a
mechanism for accelerating the development of public health
laboratories across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
"Public health labs help the world find, understand, and stop
deadly diseases before they spread," said Dr. Naveen Rao, Senior Vice President of Health at
The Rockefeller Foundation. "The Global Fund gives labs the
resources to expand their workforce and build networks for sharing
information about emerging threats. Robust labs are key for
preventing the next pandemic, and that's why we're proud to support
the Laboratory Systems Strengthening Fund."
In addition to today's commitment, the Foundation provided
US$15 million in October 2019 to the Global Fund's Data Science
Catalytic Fund, a project to fortify community health information
systems and streamline health care delivery in LMICs using digital
tools.
Founded in 2002, the Global Fund works with an array of global
partners to implement broad strategies for eradicating infectious
diseases and strengthening regional health systems. To date, the
Global Fund partnership has invested more than US$55.4 billion into treatment and prevention for
HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria – saving an estimated 50
million lives and reducing the combined death rate from the three
diseases by more than half in target geographies.
According to the Fund's newly released 2022 Results
Report:
- 23.3 million people have received lifesaving antiretroviral
therapy for HIV.
- 5.3 million people have been treated for TB.
- 148 million cases of malaria have been treated.
In 2020, for the first time in its history, the Global Fund saw
declines in key health indicators across all three priority
diseases. That year, HIV testing fell by 22% and prevention
services by 11%. TB deaths increased, fueled by a surge in
undiagnosed and untreated cases. Malaria deaths also significantly
increased in 2020, due in part to Covid-19 disruptions for critical
health services.
Today's commitment continues The Rockefeller Foundation's legacy
of funding initiatives that seek to improve health outcomes for the
world's most vulnerable populations, including its global campaign
against hookworm over 100 years ago, seeding the development of the
yellow fever vaccine, and supporting translational research for
tools including penicillin. In addition, the Foundation supported
efforts to combat malaria in Latin
America (1915), advanced research to stop the spread of TB
in Jamaica (1927-42), and
initiated landmark research for an HIV vaccine (1994).
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About The Rockefeller
Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on
collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology,
and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities
to flourish. We work throughout the world to promote the well-being
of humanity and make opportunity universal and sustainable. Our
focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic
mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious
food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter
at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on
Twitter @RockefellerFdn.
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SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation