June 28, 2023
Friends Welcomes Inclusion of $2 Billion for Global Fund in House FY 2024 Appropriations Bill; Raises Concern About Cuts to Global Health and Development
Washington, DC – Friends welcomes the House Appropriations Subcommittee for State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) allocation of $2 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in its fiscal year 2024 funding bill.
“Thank you to Subcommittee Chair Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Rep. Barbara Lee for maintaining robust support for the Global Fund in appropriations legislation,” said Chris Collins, president and CEO of Friends of the Global Fight. “This funding will save many lives and it reaffirms the U.S. commitment to ending the epidemics of AIDS, TB and malaria. Global Fund programming works in concert with other global health and development investments and we are very concerned with the proposed significant overall cuts to many of these programs in the bill. We look forward to working with members of both parties in the House and the Senate to ensure all critical programming receives adequate support.”
U.S. funding for the Global Fund cannot exceed one-third of total contributions from all donors, and it serves as a matching challenge for other countries. The $2 billion in the House bill would be the second installment of the U.S. three-year pledge and also encourage other donors to keep and increase their commitments to the Global Fund. It comes after a record-breaking U.S.-hosted Global Fund financing conference in 2022 and is aligned with the three-year pledge President Biden made to the Global Fund.
“The $2 billion proposed for the Global Fund will have a far-reaching impact,” said Dr. Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Friends’ Board chair and past chairman and CEO of Rabin Martin, a global health impact consultancy. “If enacted, this funding will save 2.3 million lives and avert 51 million cases of AIDS, TB and malaria — and that’s just in fiscal year 2024. While we remain concerned about cuts to other programming, we want to thank SFOPS subcommittee members for their continued bipartisan commitment to the Global Fund.”
Learn more:
Infographic: What Does $2 Billion Buy?
Report: Putting People at the Center of Pandemic Preparedness
(Video) Putting Out Fires: How Health Systems Can Fight Pandemics
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ABOUT FRIENDS OF THE GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA:
Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria advocates for U.S. support of the Global Fund, and the goal to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. For more information about Friends of the Global Fight, visit www.theglobalfight.org.
ABOUT THE GLOBAL FUND:
The Global Fund is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. As an international organization, the Global Fund mobilizes and invests more than US$4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in more than 100 countries. In partnership with governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector, faith-based organizations and people affected by the diseases, we are challenging barriers and embracing innovation. Learn more at https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/overview.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Rachel Irwin
(202) 912-3822