GFATM the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria

Valuing and increasing the participation of women and youth in the health sector is essential to achieving sustainable results, participants heard at the fifteenth Francophonie Summit, held in Dakar, Senegal, from 25 to 30 November.

In parallel with the Francophonie Summit, UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), the Senegalese Ministry of Health, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, the GAVI Alliance and UNITAID organized a high-level meeting on 26 November that brought together national and international dignitaries. They emphasized the importance of strengthening health systems in La Francophonie and of involving women, youth and, more widely, communities in health issues.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé spoke of the need to place on the political agenda the response to major epidemics. Participants said that the Ebola virus disease outbreak, which to date has killed more than 5500 people in West Africa, demonstrates the fragmentation of leadership and weaknesses of health systems. These factors and a lack of financial resources have also affected the HIV response in the past.

The post-2015 development goals, which should promote a new architecture for global health, should allow the translation of lessons learned from these outbreaks into rapid action.

Putting human rights issues and health at the heart of concerns in the post-2015 development agenda will also make it possible to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, which will mean a redistribution of opportunities. During his visit to Senegal, Mr Sidibé and Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund, visited the Ambulatory Treatment Centre in Dakar, which treats a range of infectious diseases and where more than 51 000 HIV tests were carried out in 2013.

The Prime Minister of Namibia, Hage Geingob, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sustaining the national AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria responses during a meeting with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), Mark Dybul, on 3 November in Windhoek, Namibia.

Prime Minister Geingob said that the government will continue to build on the current gains in order to drastically decrease the impacts of the three epidemics and to put Namibia on the path to ending the AIDS epidemic.

Mr Sidibé noted that Namibia has been one of the success stories in the global AIDS response and a model country with an innovative partnership between government and civil society. He added that addressing the needs of key populations at higher risk and investing in a community-centred HIV response that leaves no one behind will be critical to ending the AIDS epidemic in Namibia.

During the meeting, Dr Dybul said that Namibia’s increased investment in health had been exemplary and a demonstration of country ownership. He assured the government that the Global Fund is committed to supporting the national systems and plans to accelerate their implementation to get results quickly.

In the past three years, Namibia has increased domestic funding for health to more than 14% of its annual budget—it is now close to reaching the 15% target agreed by African governments in the 2001 Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases. The 2013 national AIDS spending assessment estimates that 64% of the US$ 213 million HIV funding in Namibia comes from public funds, 35% from international donors and 1% from the private sector. 

During their joint two-day visit to Namibia, Mr Sidibé and Dr Dybul held discussions with high-level political leaders, including Namibian Minister of Health and Social Services Richard Kamwi, representatives of civil society, partners and health workers.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death among people living with HIV. In 2013, 360 000 HIV-positive people around the globe died of TB, a disease which is both preventable and curable. Greater commitment and resources are needed to mount an effective response to TB and a high-level round-table event examined how this can be done through the new funding model of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund).

The event, which took place in Barcelona, Spain, on 30 October, provided an opportunity to exchange country experiences and information on TB financing and investing for impact. Participants also discussed the challenges and opportunities emerging from the new funding model, which promotes more strategic, flexible and predictable investment. 

On the opening panel, Global Fund Executive Director Mark Dybul was joined by South Africa’s Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, Blessi Kumar of the Global Coalition of TB Activists, USAID TB Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor Amy Bloom and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.

The panellists highlighted the importance of social movements and community engagement for more sustainable and inclusive approaches. They recognized the need for additional resources and called for more focused use of existing resources. It was also stressed that approaches to TB and HIV must be people-centred rather than disease-centred.