Global Fund Shifts Focus to Poorest Nations as Aid Declines
LONDON – The Global fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is reallocating resources to prioritize the world’s most vulnerable countries as international aid commitments falter, its chief executive announced Friday. The move aims to mitigate the impact of funding cuts, especially from major donor governments like the United States, and prevent widening health inequalities globally.
The Global Fund is currently seeking $18 billion for its next three-year funding cycle (2027-2029), but faces headwinds due to reduced donor contributions. The organization has already cautioned some nations about potential reductions in existing grants for 2025-2026.
“We’re skewing our resources even more to the very poorest countries… We are particularly concerned about places where there is really no alternative,” said Peter Sands, chief executive of the Global Fund, specifically citing countries like Sudan, currently grappling with a humanitarian crisis stemming from ongoing civil war.
Sands noted that while some low-income countries are increasing domestic health funding, others lack the capacity to offset international aid reductions. “There are some parts of the world which are suffering from a kind of vicious combination of poverty, conflict, climate change and disease, and the idea that… we can leave those parts of their world to their own devices, is morally repugnant,” he stated.
The declaration comes alongside the release of the Global Fund’s 2025 results report, which highlights record access to prevention and treatment tools for AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in 2023. Since its inception in 2002, the partnership reports saving 70 million lives.
However, Sands warned that progress is threatened by funding shortfalls. The Global Fund has alerted countries to a potential average 11% cut to current grants, due to a $1.4 billion gap in pledged donor funding for 2024-2026.