Global Fund approves strategy 2017-2022

The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria recently approved a Strategy 2017-2022 to maximise impact, strengthen systems for health, promote and protect human rights and gender equality and mobilise additional resources.

The Strategy, named "Investing to End Epidemics," sets the groundwork for more effective implementation of health programmes, so that partners can reach more people and achieve greater impact. The Global Fund partnership fosters innovative approaches that meet diverse country needs, with the common goal of ending HIV, TB and malaria.

Through programmes supported by the Global Fund, 17 million lives had been saved by the end of 2014, and the partnership is on track to reach 22 million by the end of 2016. The Global Fund's replenishment in 2016 aims to raise US$13 billion for the 2017-2019 funding cycle, with projections that it would save up to eight million lives with potential economic gains of up to US$290 billion in the years ahead.

The new strategy is fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals embraced by member states of the United Nations in September 2015, with a holistic and multidisciplinary approach that seeks to reach those most in need, reduce inequalities, and support sustainable transition across the development continuum as countries move toward self-sustainability.

The new strategy underlines the Global Fund's commitment to contribute to building resilient and sustainable systems for health to support national strategies for health and national disease-specific strategic plans in each country. Strengthening data systems, and using existing data more effectively, is a key factor.

The Board meeting also focused on risk management. The Board discussed significant initiatives and measures that have been implemented to improve operational and risk-management processes, and decided that further efforts are needed to do even more.