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A Smart Investment
In 2000, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria appeared to be unstoppable. In many countries, AIDS devastated an entire generation, leaving countless orphans and shattered communities. Malaria killed young children and pregnant women unable to protect themselves from mosquitoes or access life-saving medicine. Tuberculosis unfairly afflicted the poor, as it had for millennia.
The world fought back. Italy had an important part and voice in this response. It joined hands with other governments, private sector, civil society and people affected by the diseases to form the Global Fund, which pooled the world’s resources to invest strategically in programs to end AIDS, TB and malaria as epidemics.
Saving Lives, Transforming Livelihoods
Fifteen years later, Italy’s smart, effective health investments through the Global Fund have helped save more than 20 million lives. With contributions totaling more than 1 billion euros as of December 2016, Italy is the ninthlargest public donor to the Global Fund partnership. At the Global Fund’s Fifth Replenishment funding conference in September 2016, Italy pledged 140 million euros, including technical assistance for the three-year period beginning in 2017, an increase of 40 percent over Italy’s last contribution. The Italian government is represented on the Global Fund’s Board, where it has helped shape major policies, including investing in complex or challenging environments, building resilient and sustainable systems for health to address threats to global health security and advancing gender equity. Italy and the Global Fund partnership have forced HIV, tuberculosis and malaria into retreat, saving lives and creating stronger communities.