Global Fund provides vital support to Sudan within the face of ongoing conflict – press releases

The Global Fund is providing vital support to Sudan within the face of the continuing conflict

May 2, 2024

– In the face of the continuing conflict in Sudan, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the “Global Fund”) has signed grant agreements with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for an amount as much as USD 170 million over 2024–2026 to support people affected by HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria and help construct resilient and sustainable health systems. Both UNICEF and UNDP will work closely with the Federal Ministry of Health.

The conflict that broke out a 12 months ago in Sudan has plunged the country right into a humanitarian crisis. The consequences are far-reaching: 8.5 million people have been displaced, including 6.7 million in Sudan alone, essential services have been paralyzed, and the health and well-being of countless people have been threatened. The conflict has increased the challenges of responding to those three diseases, which have been particularly devastating for the country’s most vulnerable communities.

Critical systems that protect children and families are on the breaking point. It is estimated that 80% of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are usually not functioning and medical supplies are exhausted. Continued displacement and lack of access to health services complicate the treatment of HIV and TB, increasing the danger of death, drug resistance and disease transmission.

The USD 118 million grant agreement signed between the Global Fund and UNICEF will provide essential malaria services in Sudan. The grant goals to handle the urgent need for rapid malaria diagnostic testing and treatment for the estimated 6.5 million, 6.2 million and 5.8 million cases of malaria in Sudan in 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively. It may also help prevent malaria through distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets and other care to twenty-eight million inhabitants, in addition to support for related strengthening of health systems and community-led initiatives.

“The extension of the partnership with the government is an important part of UNICEF’s support for children in Sudan as they face the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict on their health, safety and well-being,” said Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF Representative in Sudan. “This is proof of our shared determination to fight malaria in this country. Sudan is currently the world’s worst displacement crisis, and children on the move are most at risk of death and disease outbreaks.”

“Sudan’s National Malaria Control Program and other related departments and units are continuously adapting to meet the needs of the most vulnerable population, ensuring access to essential medicines regardless of location,” said Federal Minister of Health Dr. Heitham Mohammed Ibrahim Awadalla. “The Federal Ministry of Health and UNICEF are working together to facilitate the timely delivery of urgently needed anti-malaria products.”

The USD 33 million grant agreement signed between the Global Fund and UNDP will proceed to support people infected with HIV and TB with lifesaving services in Sudan. The grant covers the provision of essential medicines to satisfy Sudan’s ongoing needs to supply and maintain HIV treatment for 14,000 people and treat roughly 44,000 individuals with tuberculosis over three years in still operating public hospitals and first health centers.

UNDP may also proceed to oversee the reinvestment of the Global Fund under the Covid-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) price almost USD 20 million to strengthen health systems, including the operation of pressure adsorption (PSA) mobile installations and clinics, laboratory renovation zonal, supply chain strengthening and support for local health care employees and social organizations.

“Ensuring continuity of treatment is a priority, which is why UNDP is supporting Sudan’s national HIV/TB program in mapping operational health facilities and tracking all patients requiring HIV and TB treatment,” said Thair Shraideh, Acting Resident Representative of UNDP Sudan. “UNDP is committed to providing life-saving medical care and rehabilitating health systems across Sudan. “UNDP’s support follows previous deliveries of critical supplies and medical equipment, financed by the Global Fund, since the beginning of the conflict.”

“The ongoing conflict has paralyzed the health care system and the needs in the country are urgent and grave,” said Mark Edington, director of grant management on the Global Fund. “Access to key health services is limited and people are dying due to lack of access to basic and essential health care and medicines. We are grateful to the Federal Ministry of Health, which has played a leading role in ensuring that essential HIV, TB and malaria services reach affected and vulnerable communities, with the support of partners on the ground such as UNDP and UNICEF.”

Global Fund-funded programs in Sudan support the delivery of essential medicines to public health facilities within the country, including:

• 100% antiretroviral drugs for people infected with HIV.
• 100% anti-tuberculosis drugs.
• 100% malaria drugs (artemisinin-based combination therapies), 100% rapid diagnostic tests for public health and social services, and 100% insecticide-treated bed nets for a planned mass distribution campaign in 2025 in networks in very high and high-rise areas areas with high malaria burden.

Through C19RM Global Fund, it also invested in PSA’s medical oxygen plants; mobile clinics; incinerators supporting waste management; personal protective equipment (PPE); in addition to community activities and strengthening laboratory and surveillance systems.