Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Dirk Niebel, announced at a World Economic Forum news conference in Davos, Switzerland on January 24 that Germany will contribute 1 billion euros ($1.35 billion USD) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for the period of 2012 to 2016. As the third largest donor to the Global Fund, Germany has contributed $1.785 billion since the Global Fund’s creation in 2002, with approximately $259 million contributed in 2012. Another leap forward for the Global Fund, the Federal Republic of Germany’s commitment and renewed support will allow the organization to continue to further its mission to halt the spread of these highly infectious diseases.

The Global Fund employs an innovative approach to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Based on country ownership and performance-based funding, the Global Fund’s model provides resources to developing countries so that they can implement their own programs. Through more than 1,000 programs in 151 countries, Global Fund support has provided 4.2 million people with antiretroviral treatment, detected and treated 9.7 million new cases of infectious tuberculosis, and distributed 310 million insecticide-treated nets to protect families from malaria transmission.

The Global Fund’s Executive Director Mark Dybul, Bill Gates, and German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Dirk Niebel announce Germany’s EUR 1 billion commitment to the Global Fund at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Photo credit: The Global Fund

USAID, through PEPFAR, and alongside many donor countries such as Germany, has been a strong supporter of the Global Fund since its inception. Having endured a period of structural transformation and leadership transition, it is more and more apparent that the Global Fund will continue to enact the necessary changes to ensure that grant processes reduce risk and enable countries with the greatest need to access the critical funds they need to continue the fight.

In particular, USAID appreciates the close collaboration with its German Government counterparts in improving Global Fund grant implementation through technical assistance efforts. Since 2007, USAID has provided urgent solutions to countries experiencing bottlenecks in their Global Fund grants through the Grant Management Solutions (GMS) project. GMS has established an effective relationship with the German BACKUP Initiative—Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit. Through the Office of HIV/AIDS, USAID regularly coordinates technical assistance efforts with the German GIZ-BACKUP program to reduce overlap and improve global reach of technical support to the Global Fund. We welcome the opportunity to expand this important collaboration in the months ahead.

Given the positive steps that the Global Fund has taken and is expected to take under Executive Director Mark Dybul’s leadership, we encourage all countries to honor their pledges to the Global Fund, especially during this time of transition to the new funding model.