BERLIN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — Germany has decided to increase its financial contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Tuberculosis and Malaria by 30 percent, said German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Svenja Schulze on Thursday.
The country will pay 1.3 billion euros into the fund between 2023 and 2025, Schulze told participants at an international conference of civil society organizations.
“The pandemic has recently caused significant setbacks,” said Schulze. Lockdowns, overburdened hospitals and disrupted supply chains meant that treatments for the three diseases had to be suspended, with “dramatic consequences for those affected”.
The conference took place ahead of the Global Fund’s replenishment conference on September 18-19 in New York. The goal is to raise at least $18 billion to continue existing programs and adapt them to new developments.
The United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomed Germany’s commitment. The announcement is a “significant step” towards the fund’s financial goal, UNAIDS said in a statement.
The United Nations has set a goal of eliminating AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. According to UNAIDS, since the first cases of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) were reported more than 35 years ago, 78 million people have contracted HIV and 35 million have died from AIDS-related diseases.
(according to Xinhua News Agency)