APLMA and Partners Rally to Support the Global Fund Achieve $18 billion Replenishment Goal

Pathogens have no need for passports, and so APLMA workswith international partners to ensure malaria eradication is a truly globaleffort. Last week, APLMA came together with the Australian Global HealthAlliance, Pacific Friends of Global Health, and the Australian High CommissionSingapore to host an evening in support of the Global Fund.

This high-level reception broughttogether representatives of existing Global Fund donors, government leaders,senior officials, ambassadors, and representatives from the global healthcommunity to acknowledge the commitment needed for ending malaria, HIV, and TB by2030 and preparing the world for futurehealth threats.

Impact of the Global Fund in Asia Pacific

For 20 years, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis andMalaria has championed this call for global health security, investing over US$10 billion in the Indo-Pacific region to save 17.7 million lives. The Global Fund is the largest source of internationalfinancing for malaria elimination activities in Asia Pacific, including a majorsupporter of the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The Global Fund’s largestregional grant, theRegional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative, has helped reduce malaria deathsby more than 90% over the last decade in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos PDR,and Vietnam. Much of the progress seen in this region would not have beenpossible without the Global Fund and crucial collaboration by governments,partners, and civil society organizations.

"Diseases do not respect borders and malaria continues to persist. With 2 billion people at risk of malaria in Asia Pacific, there is no room for complacency."

-- Dr Sarthak Das, CEO of the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance, on why a replenished Global Fund is essential to achieving malaria elimination in the region by 2030.

Pandemicsnew and old, from HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and now COVID-19, still impactmillions of lives around the world. The continued existence of these pandemicsshow that local communities rely on each other having strong and resilienthealth systems to protect one another. Coordinated approaches across state,national, and regional borders, as well as sustained domestic and internationalfinancing, are necessary to achieve global health security.

Thestrength of the Global Fund’s model also proved to be both resilient andsustainable during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Many nations were able to usetheir Global Fund-supported health systems and infrastructure as the backbonefor their COVID response, even while continuing to battle malaria, HIV, and TB.In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Global Fund’s resources helpedcountries in the Asia Pacific to treat 2,199,885 malaria cases, and todistribute 12 million mosquito nets. 

“There are massive synergies between investments to strengthen pandemic preparedness and investments to fight existing infectious diseases.”

 -- Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, on lessons learned from COVID-19.

In the current climate of global healthchallenges, it is critical to take maximum advantage of the linkages betweenresponding to COVID-19, tackling the earlier pandemics of HIV, TB and malaria,and preparing for future pandemic simultaneously. This requires carefulplanning and expertise.

“Strategic support at critical times saves lives, saves communities, and builds stronger and more prosperous societies.”

 -- Deputy High Commissioner Angela Robinson explained why the Global Fund’s work remains a high priority for Australia. 

The Global Fund Must Meet the $18 billion Replenishment Target to Continue this Work

TheGlobal Fund launched the Seventh Replenishment campaign in February 2022. TheReplenishment Conference, hosted by the United States, will be held inSeptember 2022. With a fully funded Replenishment of at least $18 billion USdollars, the Global Fund, together with partners, could prevent more than 150million malaria cases and save 400 thousand lives from apreventable and treatable disease.

Continuedsupport by the international community, for countries with the highest burdenalong with those at the cusp of elimination, will be critical to reach our 2030elimination goal only eight years away. APLMA will continue working withpartners, communities, and governments to reach the replenishment target andfight for what counts.

Asmalaria continues to devastate communities across our region and the world, ourfight against malaria needs to remain steadfast, until everyone, everywhere -from the remote provinces of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to tribal India –is safe.

Learn more about the Global Fund's work in the indo-pacific