I wanted to say a huge thank you to Peter [Sands] and everyone at the Global Fund team who have done such a phenomenal job at all of the work, the continued leadership, around this really powerful important programme. But also the work to get all of you here this evening.
It is also a great pleasure to be here with Ronald [Lamola], the South African Foreign Minister. We were chatting earlier this afternoon. We had the great privilege of being able to cohost the Global Fund event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York just a few weeks ago.
Sibu [Sibaca] is here again too, who gave the most powerful speech at the UN General Assembly. I should only say a few words probably and hand over to Sibu as swiftly as possible to give you the most powerful explanation of what the Global Fund is all about and why it matters so much – and why it is so important that all of you are a part of it.
The UK and South Africa will be hosting the final summit of the Global Fund’s eighth replenishment in Johannesburg in November.
Since it started, the UK has proudly been the Global Fund’s third largest investor.
We are hugely committed to its continuing success.
The numbers speak for themselves: 70 million lives saved since 2002, and mortality rates for the diseases that the Global Fund takes action on reduced by 63%.
That is children growing up with parents. That is parents not having to bury a child. That is families not facing heartbreak and devastating loss.
That is communities not being undermined. That is economies being able to grow stronger because people are healthier.
The power of what the Global Fund has done is truly immense. That’s why it’s so important we have to continue with this work – the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria.
And the private sector has been a crucial part of this. Not just by investing $5.2 billion over the lifetime of the Global Fund, but also the development of new treatments that have been so crucial: improving access to care, and driving down costs as well.
I am hugely proud of the role that British expertise has played in transforming the fight against these diseases.
And I am delighted to see so many representatives from British businesses are here tonight.
Because your researchers, your companies, your institutions are at the forefront of developing those treatments, of developing those tools that can save lives every single day.
For the UK’s life sciences sector to be a part of this global project is so hugely important.
Can I particularly acknowledge the contributions of ViiV Healthcare and GlaxoSmithKline as well, for their work on HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and world-leading anti-retroviral drugs.
Of the 40 million people living with HIV globally, more than 25 million are on those medicines, reaching 130 low- and middle-income countries.
In just the same way, when we work on the hugely important government mission on growth, we work in partnership with businesses and UK businesses across the country – in something like this which is about saving lives right across the world, we want that partnership to continue and be central as well.
The work is far from done. There’s a huge amount still to do.
Every single minute, a child under five still dies of malaria.
Nearly 14 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS-related causes—over ten million of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
And TB, despite all our progress, remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease.
So that’s why continuing the work of the Global Fund is so important, so we can save more lives, so that we can support more families and hold them together.
We’ve had generous pledges already from Germany, from the Gates Foundation, Norway, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, RED, CIFF, Denmark, Luxembourg, Goodbye Malaria, Johnson & Johnson, Takeda Pharmaceutical and Portugal.
And at the recent UN General Assembly, over $1.1 billion was pledged to the Fund.
The final pledging event will be on 21 November, so I hope all partners – public and private sector – will be able to join us in this vital mission.
Because it’s not just about a contribution; it is a catalyst for change as well.
Health is the foundation of prosperity. Because healthy nations are strong nations, fit for growth, trade, and development.
And frankly, no one should die of a preventable disease because of where they live. Because of the country in which they grow up.
So that’s why this is something all of us need to be part of. Huge thank you again to the Global Fund, to all of you who are part of it.
Please keep being part of it and keep helping to save lives.
Thank you very much.
