It's time, once again, to speak-up for the Global Fund's replenishment, with the Donors conference come soon to London. Every couple of years, a few health advocates try to influence half a dozen rich governments to increase their support for the GF's continued good work, an excellent model of efficiency among international institutions. As before, the lives of 50 million people struggling today to survive the pandemics of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are in the hands of a small number of professional health advocates and a few government officials. This practice of lobbying has previously succeeded in finding ways forward to increase the Global Fund's capacity each year to make grants, and to save lives. But this time, the cozy consensus behind closed doors approach is not working - donors are indicating that 'scale-up' is not on the agenda, and that far fewer funds must be used far more effectively. Although we agree with the call for more efficiency and accountability, we recognize, clearly, that the Fund needs its funds, in full.
There are probably more than ten million people who today, just another Thursday, have received their lifesaving treatment, and tens of millions of their family members who see tonight how access to appropriate care keeps their loved ones alive, and in better shape for tomorrow. Furthermore, there are surely many millions of clinicians, nurses and health workers, technicians, consultants, communications and PR specialists, advocates, researchers, pharmaceutical and medical product workers, NGO employees, procurement and shipping agents, ambulance drivers, accountants, and public health managers, to name a few, who make their living through funding that comes from Global Fund programs.
