The UK has been warned that its 15% reduction in funding to the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria will force African countries to make 'impossible choices' in combating these diseases. The cut, announced this week, reduces the UK's pledge from £1 billion to £850 million, part of a broader reduction in aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP to boost defence funding.
Campaigners fear the reduction could encourage other donors to follow suit, undermining the UK's legacy in global health. The UK is co-host of the fund's replenishment drive alongside South Africa, and advocates have called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to attend the replenishment summit in Johannesburg later this month and seek additional funds.
Prof Kenneth Ngure, president-elect of the International Aids Society, warned that any reduction in support would have consequences, forcing African countries to make difficult choices to protect the most vulnerable. He also expressed concern that funding cuts could compromise the rollout of new drugs considered gamechangers in HIV prevention.
Joy Phumaphi, executive secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, said the drop would have real consequences across Africa, including fewer bed nets, medicines, and diagnostics. Research suggests a 20% cut to the overall Global Fund could result in 330,000 additional deaths from malaria alone by 2040.
John Plastow of Frontline Aids said the UK's reduced pledge risks leading to reductions in other donor commitments, with real risks for people's lives and the global HIV response. He urged the UK to make an explicit commitment to increase its pledge later in the three-year replenishment cycle when additional funding becomes available.
Adrian Lovett of the One campaign suggested the £74 million saved by reducing hotel accommodation costs for asylum seekers in the UK could be used to top up the Global Fund pledge. Dr Andriy Klepikov of Ukraine's Alliance for Public Health thanked the UK for its contribution, noting it enables over half a million Ukrainians to access HIV and TB services during the war.
