I may be retired from the news business, but I still know a good story when I see one. Reports now tell us that more children than ever are growing up free of deadly diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Just 20 years ago, a very different picture was being painted. AIDS was ravaging an entire generation; hundreds of thousands of children were dying before their 5th birthday simply due to a single bite from a malaria-infected mosquito; and TB spread like wildfire in many impoverished communities, leaving family members sick and unable to work.

My dear friend, the late former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called the fight against this loss of humanity “the greatest challenge of our generation” and quickly asked the United Nations Foundation, which I had recently launched at the time, to help be a part of the solution.

We joined with a range of partners to support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which brings together governments, advocates, and experts to mobilize resources, coordinate efforts, and invest in innovative programs that are turning the tide against these three devastating diseases.

The work of the Global Fund has changed the landscape when it comes to AIDS, TB, and malaria: 18.9 million more people are now living long lives with HIV treatment and 131 million mosquito nets were distributed just last year to protect children around the world from the threat of malaria. Because of public and private sector partners uniting to take a stand, the Global Fund partnership has saved nearly 32 million lives and reduced the number of deaths caused by these three diseases by 40% in countries where the Global Fund invests its support.

Think about that: 32 million lives saved. That’s more than three times the population of the state of Georgia being given the opportunity to live healthy, productive lives all because people came together in partnership to fight, refusing a world where AIDS, TB, and malaria are allowed to destroy our communities.

This is a good news story so far — but how it ends is still to be determined. Right now, the progress we’ve made against these diseases is very fragile and, in some cases, such as with malaria, it’s stalled due to insufficient resources and lack of political will to carry on the fight.

It’s up to all of us to decide whether we protect the progress we’ve made and keep moving forward or become complacent and watch on as these diseases gain ground once again. If we lose progress on health, so much more around the world is at risk — from the stability of communities to the productivity of businesses.

We’re a mere 10 years out from the 2030 deadline to achieve a better future for people and our planet to which we committed under the Sustainable Development Goals – the world’s shared to-do list, adopted by nations worldwide four years ago. The success of the Global Fund’s efforts is linked to the success of these global goals — from ending poverty to achieving gender equality to ensuring health for all.

On Oct. 10 in Lyon, France, many countries and private sector partners stood up for progress, pledging more than $14 billion for the Global Fund’s work over the next three years. While these pledges are very important, they are not enough. All of us, especially engaged citizens like you and me, need to keep raising our voices to make sure that the fight against AIDS, TB, and malaria remains a priority on the global agenda.

We need others to step up the fight and contribute to achieving the world that my friend Kofi envisioned. We need more compassion, more engagement and most importantly, more collective action than we currently see in our often-fractured world. I call on private sector partners, country governments, and global citizens to help us all deliver on our promise for a better world.

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The UN objective of ending epidemics of the three ailments by 2030 remained within reach, he told a two-day donor meeting in the city of Lyon, if countries stepped up to the plate with a sum of $14-billion.

But with the conference due to wind up in the afternoon, the French president indicated there was a race against the clock to reach the target. Based on pledges so far “we are not there”, Macron told delegates.

“The funds that are being asked of us are not… charity. It is a decision to invest against injustice,” said the president, highlighting the disproportionate rate of infection and deaths from AIDS, TB and malaria in poor countries, and among women and girls.

“What we want to do is to make AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria disappear from the face of the Earth,” he added to applause, and announced that France, the fund’s number-two donor, will boost its own contribution by 15 percent.

“The multilateral system is tired,” Macron lamented.

He complained that resolve has weakened in many rich donor countries given that fewer people there are dying of the three diseases and that treatment, particularly for HIV, was readily available.

But they remained rampant in the developing world. “There is a risk of slackening,” he said.

The Fund says $14 billion would help save 16 million lives and avert 234 million new infections.

According to the UN’s World Health Organization, 770,000 people died of HIV-related causes last year. Tuberculosis, a high risk for HIV-positive people, claimed some 1.7 million lives in 2017, and malaria more than 430,000.

The meeting is the sixth to replenish the fund since it was set up in 2002, with prominent supporters including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and U2 lead singer Bono in attendance alongside a number of African heads of state.

But officials said collecting such a large sum could prove challenging, especially as global attention moves from AIDS towards fighting climate change.

Anything more than the $12.2 billion pledged at the fund’s last meeting three years ago in Montreal “will be considered a success”, said an official in the French presidency.

Macron, however, insisted yesterday that $14 billion “is the minimum”, and warned: “I will not allow anyone to leave this room, nor Lyon, until the $14 billion has been obtained.”

NGOs insist even more is needed — as much as $18 billion.

Peter Sands, executive director of the Fund, warned delegates on Wednesday that the world was at a crossroads: “Do we step up or do we slip back against adversaries as formidable as HIV, TB and malaria? There is no middle ground. We’re either winning or losing.”

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The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Wednesday opened a drive to raise $14 billion to fight the global epidemics but face an uphill battle in the face of donor fatigue.

Host President Emmanuel Macron is to chair the final day of the two-day meeting in the French city of Lyon on Thursday and meet African heads of state.

The fund has asked for $14 billion, an amount it says would help save 16 million lives, avert “234 million infections” and place the world back on track to meet the UN objective of ending the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria within 10 years.

“I count on every one of you to bring together the financing necessary to give the Global Fund the means necessary to support the worst affected countries,” said French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn as the meeting opened.

“We are here to send a strong signal. A collective, universal and ambitious signal,” she added. 

The UN’s World Health Organization says 770,000 people died of HIV-related causes last year. Tuberculosis, a high risk for HIV-positive people, claimed some 1.7 million lives in 2017, and malaria more than 430,000.

– ‘Anything more a success’ –

The meeting is the sixth to replenish the fund since it was set up in 2002, with prominent supporters including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and U2 lead singer Bono in attendance.

But officials said ahead of the meeting that collecting such a large sum could prove challenging, especially as global attention moves from AIDS towards fighting climate change.

Anything more than the $13 billion pledged at the fund’s last meeting three years ago in Montreal “will be considered a success”, said an official in the French presidency.

Macron, however, made it clear at the UN General Assembly in September that he expected no less than $14 billion, saying “no-one any longer can understand” that people are unable to access medicines for the deadly disease trio.

NGOs insist even more is needed — as much as $18 billion. 

– ‘Less not acceptable’ –

Some countries have announced their contribution. The US is the number one donor with a $4.68 billion contribution voted by Congress.

Britain is set to pledge $1.7 billion and Germany $1.1 billion. It remains to be seen what France will contribute, although Macron has vowed it will be worthy of the country’s historical status as the Fund’s number two donor.

France also wants the private sector to play a bigger role, and the fund is seeking $1 billion of the total from the business world.

“No amount less than $14 billion will be acceptable,” the AIDES and Coalition PLUS NGOs said in a statement, urging France to ramp up its contribution by 25 percent.

“We are here to remember that behind this financial bargaining there are human lives,” said AIDES president Aurelien Beaucamp.

AIDES said that as things stand now, the meeting risks falling $200-$500 million short of its target.

Macron will meet leaders including Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou and Cameroon President Paul Biya, while Rwandan President Paul Kagame is also set to be in attendance.

The Global Fund groups states, NGOs and private firms to support public health programmes around the world, investing about $4 billion every year.

It says it has helped save 32 million lives and provided prevention, treatment and care services to hundreds of millions of people, while the number of deaths caused by AIDS, TB and malaria each year has been reduced by 40 percent since 2002 in countries where the Fund invests.

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CAPE TOWN, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) — Deputy President David Mabuza on Friday convened an inaugural meeting of the National AIDS Council Inter-Ministerial Committee in the sixth administration to deliberate on South Africa’s response to HIV and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics.

The meeting must discuss and provide a clear direction on how South Africa intends to take in addressing some of the challenges noted for instance in the UNAIDS 2019 Global AIDS Report, Mabuza told participants.

According to the report, South Africa bears the highest burden of HIV globally, wherein 7.9 million people are living with HIV, of which 4.4 million are on antiretroviral treatment.

Key and vulnerable populations, including adolescent girls and young women, remain disproportionately affected by HIV. In addition, South Africa is among the 30 countries in the world with the highest burden of TB.

“Our country remains confronted by the challenge of HIV and tuberculosis epidemics,” Mabuza said.

Confronted by this reality, the 2017-2022 National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs (sexual transmitted infection) must continue to guide the implementation of the country’s multi-sectoral response to the epidemic, said Mabuza.

This is aligned to the National Development Plan and the Global Sustainable Development Goals, he said.

“Therefore, our collective response to these challenges must entail very focused interventions, including targeted plans and campaigns that we are going to embark upon in this 6th democratic administration,” said Mabuza.

These efforts must triumph over the challenges brought by HIV, AIDS, STIs and TB on the health of ther nation, Mabuza said.

“Our next focus should be on prevention, and more prevention. Over the course of this term, we must consolidate our partnerships and collaborative work with all key stakeholders such as traditional leaders as we fight the HIV and TB epidemics,” he said.

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