The Global Fund opens up the potential of private sector investment – updates

The Global Fund opens up the potential of private sector investment ahead of its eighth critical addition

January 23, 2025

Private sector engagement opens pathways for $2 billion in breakthrough investment opportunities within the fight against HIV, TB and malaria.

– During Wednesday’s plenary session of the World Economic Forum, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the “Global Fund”) introduced an investment opportunity inviting corporations, philanthropic leaders and foundations to speculate in accelerating progress within the fight against the world’s deadliest disease infectious disease on the earth. This investment opportunity is a component of a broader fundraising effort that can launch in the approaching weeks. The Global Fund goals to lift $2 billion from private donors. This investment would deliver a 19-to-1 return on investment in health and the economy and save the lives of over 2 million people.

The Global Fund partnership brings together the resources and expertise of governments, the private sector and civil society to speed up the response to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and enhance pandemic preparedness. The private and philanthropic sectors have played key roles in financing health programs, developing life-saving medicines and pioneering technological innovations.

“Innovation and investment in the private sector are a continuing force in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria,” he said. “Our partners are advancing next-generation mosquito nets, long-acting injectable PrEP, AI-powered X-ray diagnostics, and expanding access to other innovative health tools. We encourage the private sector to build on these achievements, expand their impact and ultimately create a world free of these deadly diseases. Together we can transform the lives of millions of people and strengthen the health systems that underpin global health security.”

The catalytic role of the private sector is especially essential in accelerating access to cutting-edge solutions, removing gender and human rights barriers, and supporting local health systems. Investments in HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), digital health platforms, AI-powered diagnostics and the professionalization of local medical examiners are just a few examples of transformational initiatives which can be already making a difference.

Private sector investment has proven its ability to rapidly scale solutions, catalyze change and create exponential impact. To date, private partners have contributed greater than $5.2 billion to the Global Fund, directly improving quality of life in greater than 100 countries.

Further support could, for instance, fund initiatives that:

• Increase access to breakthrough tools for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
• Better integrate investments across health systems to deliver more patient-centric services and increase resilience to pandemics and climate-related health crises.
• Empowering women, girls and marginalized groups by eliminating gender-related inequalities and barriers.

Profits from private sector partnerships are scaling rapidly. For example, from 2020 to 2023, a $25 million investment from Global Fund’s philanthropic partner, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), goals to scale up HIV self-testing in Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda , together with expansion to Malawi and Zambia, has resulted in an investment of over $110 million in HIV self-testing in all countries covered by our offering, which represents greater than 4 times CIFF’s initial catalytic financing. This represents a seven-fold increase within the Global Fund’s investment in HIV self-testing in comparison with previous years. Orders for self-testing kits in these seven countries have also increased significantly, from around 950,000 in 2020 to over 17 million by the top of 2023.

Following successful implementation in 2022, CIFF provided a further $33 million to implement HIV prevention to achieve probably the most at-risk populations in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. The important goal was to contribute to global goals to scale back latest HIV infections by encouraging the scale-up of HIV PrEP and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) as a part of combined HIV prevention interventions in countries with high-incidence populations. In the primary five countries covered by the study, CIFF’s initial investment of USD 15 million was multiplied by an element of three:1, leading to financing of USD 46.6 million.

The eighth replenishment of the Global Fund will likely be launched in the approaching weeks. This yr represents a key opportunity for the private sector to affix governments and other donors in accelerating the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and strengthening health systems and pandemic preparedness. By mobilizing resources and expertise, corporations and philanthropists can drive sustainable progress and create a healthier, safer and more equitable world.