The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has released its annual Results Report, marking an extraordinary milestone: 70 million lives saved since its inception in 2002.
Yet the partnership warns that without renewed investment and commitment, decades of progress could unravel.
Fragile Gains in the Fight Against HIV, TB, and Malaria
In less than a quarter century, the Global Fund partnership, driven by country leadership, affected communities, and front-line health workers, has slashed the combined death rate from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 63 percent and reduced the combined incidence rate by 42 percent.
“This shows that with the right tools, strong partnerships and sustained investment, we can change the course of global health for the better,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund.
The report underscores the high return on investment from the Global Fund, highlighting record levels of people receiving HIV treatment, TB care, and malaria prevention.
Yet HIV continues to infect 1.3 million people annually, TB still claims 1.3 million lives, and malaria remains a threat to millions of children and pregnant women.
Conflict, Insecurity, and Fragile Health Systems Threaten Progress
Conflict and fragile health systems remain among the greatest risks.
In 2024, the Global Fund invested US$2.7 billion to strengthen laboratories, supply chains, data systems, and health worker capacity in more than 100 countries.
These investments also reinforced responses to hepatitis, HPV, and other coinfections while preparing for future pandemics.
But fragile contexts, home to 16 percent of the global population, bear a disproportionate burden of disease.
Nearly two-thirds of global malaria cases, one-quarter of TB cases, and 17 percent of new HIV infections occur in these settings.
Through its Emergency Fund, the Global Fund has deployed resources to ensure continuity of lifesaving programs in countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. From Ukraine to Syria, lifesaving HIV, TB, and malaria services continue despite insecurity.
Rising Resistance and Climate Shocks Put Hard-Won Gains at Risk
The rise of drug-resistant TB and growing resistance to malaria drugs and insecticides threaten to undermine years of progress.
In 2023, treatment coverage for TB reached a record 75 percent in Global Fund-supported countries, with 88 percent of those treated completing therapy. Yet drug-resistant TB remains a stubborn and deadly challenge.
For malaria, access to insecticide-treated nets reached 61 percent in 2023, with 53 percent of people at risk using them, the highest levels yet.
Still, extreme weather events linked to climate change and increasing insecticide resistance are fueling fears of a resurgence.
Similarly, while AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 82 percent and new infections by 73 percent since 2002 in Global Fund-supported countries, 630,000 people still died of AIDS-related causes in 2024.
These overlapping risks highlight the fragile nature of progress and the need for sustained innovation, from AI-powered TB diagnostics to community-led HIV and malaria prevention.
Funding Gaps Could Reverse Decades of Progress
The single greatest risk identified by the Global Fund is declining international funding. Years of effort have cut combined death and infection rates for the three diseases, but these achievements depend on consistent resources.
Without urgent investment, the human, social, and economic toll could be devastating.
“But in today’s fast-changing geopolitical environment, there is no room for complacency. The global health community must move faster to reduce fragmentation, eliminate duplication, and make it easier for countries to work with us. The Global Fund is committed to bold change, maximizing every dollar, responding to countries’ evolving needs, and accelerating the shift to nationally led, nationally financed health systems,” added Sands.
The Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment, launched in February 2025 and co-hosted by South Africa and the United Kingdom, is being called a defining moment for global health.
Australia, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and private partners such as the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Takeda have already pledged early support.
With a successful replenishment, the Global Fund estimates it could help save up to 23 million lives between 2027 and 2029 and reduce mortality from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 64 percent compared to 2023 levels, while building stronger national health systems.
Failure to secure this funding could allow these diseases to resurge with devastating force, erasing decades of progress.
About the Global Fund
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is an international financing partnership created in 2002 to accelerate the end of the three diseases.
It brings together governments, civil society, the private sector, and people affected by the diseases to support locally driven programs in more than 100 countries.
The Fund does not implement programs directly. Instead, it mobilizes and invests resources, with countries leading their own strategies and implementation.
To date, it has invested over US$60 billion, making it one of the largest global health financiers.
Beyond HIV, TB, and malaria, the Global Fund also supports broader health system strengthening and pandemic preparedness, ensuring that investments have a long-term impact.
