Today the UK announced their pledge of £850m to the Global Fund, a 15% reduction on its previous pledge of £1 billion in 2022.
While a significant sum, the reduction risks jeopardising the incredible opportunity that game-changing drugs like Lenacapavir present to finally end AIDS by 2030. It may even mean that hard won progress over the last twenty years will be at risk.
The £150 million cut from the previous UK pledge could have saved over 220,000 additional lives and provided 270,000 more people with lifesaving HIV medicines. Whether it’s at-risk communities being excluded from preventative health services or people living with HIV losing access to lifesaving medicines, these cuts will have a direct and devastating impact on real people around the world.
The pledge of £850 million means the UK will remain a leading contributor to the Global Fund and we acknowledge the value of this sum in a challenging economic environment. Whilst the government has highlighted that the UK commitment is only a 5% cut compared to its last pledge when converted in US dollars – this is due to exchange rate fluctuations. There is no avoiding the fact that this is a 15% cut from their previous pledge of £1 billion in 2022, which was itself down 30% from £1.4 billion in 2019.
This latest reduction in the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund must be understood as a direct result of the 40% cuts to the international development budget in February – cuts that were entirely unnecessary. We must always remember that reducing support for the poorest communities, both at home and abroad, is a political choice, not an economic inevitability.
This reduction by the UK also unfortunately undermines its leadership role as a co-host of the 8th replenishment. In the context of these cuts, the UK still needs to continue the important work it has led this year to encourage the remaining donors to step up and make strong pledges. To honour their role and commitment as co-hosts of the Global Fund replenishment, it is also critical that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be standing side by side with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa leading the final replenishment conference on November 21st.