The US unexpectedly announced a $4.6bn (R80.25bn) pledge to a vital fund in the fight to eradicate HIV, tuberculosis and malaria at an event on the sidelines of the G20 on Friday afternoon.
This was at the Global Fund Replenishment drive in Johannesburg, where officials and companies made pledges to provide support to the fund, which has saved an estimated 70-million people from dying of Aids-related illness, TB or malaria since it was founded in 2002.
The gathering, which took place ahead of this weekend’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, aimed to secure $14bn in pledges against a budget of $18bn to continue its programmes.
Jeremy P Lewin, under-secretary of state for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, sent a remote announcement via video saying that the US would make the significant pledge of $4.5bn.
“Today, the US is announcing a $4.6bn biennial pledge to the Global Fund’s aid replenishment cycle. This generous pledge, while representing a modest decline on the account of needed reforms and efficiencies, reaffirms our nation’s continued commitment to the Global Fund’s important life-saving activities.”
The announcement was unexpected given the continued tensions between South Africa and the US, coloured by US President Donald Trump’s refusal to attend the summit this weekend or send US Vice President JD Vance or secretary of state Marco Rubio.
However, at the 11th hour, the Trump administration announced on Thursday evening that the US would send a delegation to observe the summit and receive the chairpersonship of the G20 from South Africa in preparation of the 2026 G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Lewin said the Trump administration has downscaled or cut the US government’s provisions to social and healthcare relief initiatives, such as the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
Lewin told delegates at the replenishment fund drive that the US remained focused on cutting wasteful aid programmes that he said did not produce results, but praised the Global Fund for its success in addressing Aids-related, TB, and malaria deaths, especially among children.
“The Global Fund is a critical partner in advancing the America First Global Health Strategy, given the Global Fund’s long advanced key tenets of our approach, investing most of its resources into scaled procurement of critical healthcare commodities and support for front-line workers and costs, requiring co-investment from recipient countries with sufficient income and giving developing countries the tools like a world-class pool procurement mechanism to take control of their own health destinies.”
He said the Trump administration would continue to double down on cutting spending for programmes it found to be wasteful or inefficient, as it continues to work with countries around the world to advance global healthcare goals.
“The best days of America’s healthcare leadership are yet ahead. The state department recently unveiled our new America First Global Health Strategy, which reaffirms our commitment to global health but enacts much-needed reforms to bloated programmes, deploying resources more prudently towards high-impact programmes and creating positive incentives for recipient countries’ self-reliance and local control.”
Also at the session, health minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the gathering was a defining moment for global health and for multilateralism and shared responsibility as the world commits to invest in economic stability, health resilience and an equitable world.
“Africa has endured the darkest days of HIV, TB and malaria, but we can also claim that we remained strong, more resilient and more willing to lead … This summit, cohosted by South Africa and the UK, sends a clear message: that Africa is central to the future of global health. We gather here not for charity but for shared responsibility.”
Minister of state for foreign, commonwealth and development Baroness Jennifer Chapman said the UK pledged more than $1bn to strengthen health services. Cecelia Lodonu-Senoo, founder and executive director of Hope For Future Generations, said if these replenishments fell short, it would be catastrophic.
Canada pledged $1.02bn. Italy pledged €150m. Monaco pledged €600,000 for 2026 to 2028. New Zealand pledged NZ£3m. Singapore pledged $1m. Cote d’Ivoire pledged $2.5m to the replenishment cycle while Namibia pledged $1m, Nigeria $15m, and Zimbabwe $1m.
The Rockefeller Foundation pledged $10m, subject to approval. The EU has historically pledged €3.5bn while the EU Commission president will announce a new pledge in due course. The Republic of Korea pledged $100m in the next replenishment cycle.
TimesLIVE
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