Friends of the Global Fund Organize “Global Fund’s Reach in Fragile, Crisis Settings” Event on the Sidelines of the 7th Replenishment

On September 18, 2022, FGFJ, Friends of the Global Fund Europe, and Friends of the Global Fight (US) jointly hosted a hybrid event at the Marriott Marquis near Times Square covering “The Global Fund’s Reach in Fragile, Crisis Settings: Defeating HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria Everywhere.” This event featured speakers including Chris Collins (Friends of the Global Fight), Kieran Daly (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Bintou Dembélé (ARCAD-SIDA Mali), Mark Edington (The Global Fund), Barbara Lee (US State Representative, California), and Sylvie Chantereau (former Friends of the Global Fund Europe). There was also a high-level panel moderated by Suomi Sakai (former The Global Fund) that included Satoshi Ezoe (MOFA, Japan), Hubert Julien-Laferrière (French National Assembly), Andriy Klepikov (Alliance for Public Health, Ukraine), Niluka Perera (GFAN AP, Sri Lanka), and Mit Philips (Médecins Sans Frontières). With simultaneous translations in French, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese, speakers engaged in a panel and Q&A preceding the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment on September 21.

Mr. Collins and Mr. Daly welcomed participants and audience members with remarks on the impact and success of the Global Fund, highlighting the Global Fund’s role in saving 50 million lives, as noted in the recently released 2022 Results Report. Mr. Daly pointed to the diversity of partners’ strengths and The Global Fund’s commitment to collaboration with partners on the ground as key factors in its 20 years of success.

While speaking on the Global Fund’s many carefully coordinated and compliant approaches to providing aid in challenging operating environments (also known as fragile states), Mr. Edington specifically highlighted its operations in Ukraine and Afghanistan. He ended with a call for support for the Global Fund, which he said “stands ready to work with partners and leverage [its] 20 year experience” in providing aid to areas that need it most.

Introduced by Satoko Itoh from FGFJ, Dr. Dembele stressed the large security crisis in Mali and how despite most of the regions around the country are considered “unsafe,” the Global Fund is still able to reach all of the communities across Mali. Eighty percent of funding for the HIV and AIDS response in Mali comes from the Global Fund and the most vulnerable populations, including women and children, rely on the Global Fund. Dr. Dembele concluded her remarks by noting that she will continue advocating for the Global Fund to not stop supporting Mali until these diseases are eliminated.

Emina Rye-Florentz from Fund of the Global Fund (FGF) introduced the panelists, and in the ensuing panel discussion moderated by Dr. Sakai, participants shared their country’s or organization’s experience with The Global Fund. Dr. Ezoe noted the close relationship between The Global Fund and Japan, which had reaffirmed its commitment to global healthcare last month through their pledge of up to US$1.08 billion to the Global Fund at the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8).

Ms. Perera specifically noted external impacts, such as political turmoil or the pandemic, on healthcare in Sri Lanka, while Ms. Philips spoke on how these external factors not only negatively affect healthcare but also exacerbate health problems. Mr. Klepikov reported on the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and The Global Fund’s rapid response in providing aid, while Mr. Julien-Laferrière stated that The Global Fund’s work matters as it is our duty to uphold healthcare for all. Two other major themes of the panel were discussing healthcare service interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the pivotal role that government–civil society engagement plays in rebuilding resilient and sustainable healthcare systems.

Following an introduction by Mr. Collins, Representative Lee took the stage to speak on the necessity of healthcare, especially in “societies struggling with instability and conflict,” as well as healthcare as a basic human right. Ending with an overview on U.S. initiatives to protect healthcare at home and abroad, Rep. Lee praised the U.S. for its contribution to this year’s replenishment.

Ms. Chantereau, the former director of Friends Europe, closed the event by thanking the panelists and reiterating the importance of healthcare, stating that “maintaining healthcare services is the last bastion to protect populations from extreme and sometimes extremist situations.” She highlighted The Global Fund’s collaborative nature, far reach, flexibility, and continued success.