Salud por Derecho and Médicos Sin Fronteras Spain are calling on the Spanish Government to commit to contributing 200 million euros to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria for the 2027-2029 period. This request is part of the Global Fund’s new replenishment round, at a particularly critical moment due to cuts to international health funding.
The Global Fund has set a goal of raising 18 billion dollars for the next funding cycle. According to its projections, this amount would help save 23 million lives between 2027 and 2029, reduce combined mortality from the three diseases by 64%, and prevent 400 million new infections. To help achieve this goal and avoid setbacks, Salud por Derecho and MSF Spain are urging the Spanish Government to increase its contribution from 130 million euros in the previous period to 200 million.
Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has played a central role in the fight against these pandemics. According to the Fund’s own data, it has helped save over 65 million lives and reduce combined mortality from HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria by 63%. Specifically for HIV, there has been an average annual reduction of 8.3% in new infections and a 10.3% annual decrease in AIDS-related deaths during this period.
These advances are now at risk. Global health is facing an unprecedented wave of funding cuts. In the United States alone, the Administration has requested that Congress withdraw more than 8.3 billion dollars in funding for international health programs, including initiatives such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which more than 20 million people depend on. In addition, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has suffered an 83% budget cut, which is already impacting medical research, clinical trials, and essential health services in developing countries.
In regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, these cuts are having devastating consequences. Hundreds of projects that heavily depend on U.S. funding are being canceled, leaving patients without antiretroviral treatment and causing interruptions in essential health services. In some countries, PEPFAR provided up to 60% of resources allocated to HIV programs.
If these cuts continue, they could set back the fight against HIV by up to 15 years, with significant increases in new infections, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children, where the increase could reach 221%. Many babies could be born with HIV or become infected simply because their mothers will not have access to antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, which are highly dependent on U.S. funding, are already feeling the impact.
The World Health Organization (WHO), for its part, anticipates a 21% decrease in its funding over the next two years, which has already led to the closure of health facilities and reductions in services in more than 70 countries.
EXAMPLES OF THE IMPACT OF CUTS ON THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV AND TUBERCULOSIS
A recent joint analysis by the Treatment Action Group (TAG) and Médecins Sans Frontières revealed that 39 HIV and TB clinical research centers in South Africa are at risk due to potential funding cuts from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), threatening at least 27 HIV trials and 20 tuberculosis trials.
In Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Uganda, thousands of people could lose access to HIV treatment. It is also estimated that up to 75 million children could go without vaccines in these three countries over the next five years.
Globally, Médecins Sans Frontières is witnessing how medical-humanitarian organizations are reducing or canceling vital activities due to funding cuts from the U.S. and several European countries, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, among others. Vaccination campaigns, protection and care for people in conflict zones, sexual and reproductive health services, and access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation are all at risk.
In this scenario, the financial commitment of countries like Spain can have a direct impact on the stability of health systems in many regions. The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, which begins in Seville next week, is an opportunity to formalize this commitment and reaffirm global health as a priority for Spanish foreign policy.
Photo: Global Fund
