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Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is being urged to maintain UK contribution till Global fight against HIVTB and malaria, with expected reductions potentially costing hundreds of thousands of lives.
The One Campaign, an anti-poverty charity, has appealed to raise £13.5bn ahead of the summit. Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria -The world’s largest funder for the treatment of these diseases.
The charity cited figures suggesting that the British public overwhelmingly supports government investment in the fight against the biggest killer of infectious diseases.
The More in Common poll, conducted by the One Campaign, found that when told about the work of the Global Fund, two-thirds of Britons said the UK should increase or maintain its support for the fund.
The Global Fund pays for a quarter of all international HIV treatment and prevention programmes, more than half of malaria programmes, and three-quarters of TB programmes. It is estimated that 70 million lives have been saved in the last 20 years.
It is funded mostly by contributions from more than 80 governments, as well as private industry and philanthropy. Currently, the UK is its third largest donor, having pledged £1 billion in 2022.
But, amid deep cuts to overall spending on foreign aid, the UK is widely expected to reduce its contribution to the fund – despite co-hosting the fundraising event in November during the G20 summit.
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the UK has not yet decided what its pledge to the Global Fund will be.
The One Campaign said a £100 million cut in the UK contribution would mean 170,000 fewer lives saved over the next three years, based on the Global Fund’s own estimate of how many deaths it could prevent. Government officials are reportedly discussing even larger cuts, although the FCDO does not recognize this.
When asked to consider a list of the country’s achievements in the 21st century, respondents to the More in Common poll ranked the UK’s role in fighting HIV, TB and malaria third behind the Covid vaccine rollout and the 2012 Olympic Games. Other achievements listed include legalizing gay marriage and the Lionesses’ 2022 Euro win.
Adrian Lovett, executive director of the One Campaign, said: “People see the UK’s role in tackling these terrible diseases as one of our most significant achievements of the 21st century. The message is clear: the British people want their government to save lives, and to protect us from the spread of diseases that don’t stop at national borders.
“Working together in partnership, the world has seen dramatic progress that has made us all safer,” he said, noting that Germany had recently announced an £870m contribution to the Global Fund, which exceeded expectations.
“With Germany taking the lead, all eyes are now on Britain. Britain has an opportunity to make a bold statement of its commitment to ending these deadly diseases – or risk hundreds of thousands of lives.”
This article was produced as part of The Independent Rethinking global aid Project