UK pledges £850 million to fight malaria, TB, HIV despite 15% funding cut

Amid global health cuts, the UK’s commitment to health funding has diminished.

The UK said it will invest £850 million in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria, which is 15 percent less than its last commitment.

Over the period of the next three years, the funding will boost the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, known as the Global Fund, which is considered one of the world’s leading organizations working to eradicate the presence of these life-threatening diseases on the world map.

This year’s pledge is down from £1 billion in 2022 and £1.46 billion in 2019, as the United Kingdom shifts its priorities away from foreign aid and toward defense.

This cut coincides with similar cuts to global health funding by other major donors, such as the United States and wealthy European nations.

While advocacy groups have warned that the UK’s cuts will have serious repercussions for countries that rely on the Global Fund’s programs, which have been credited with reducing the combined mortality rate from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 63 percent since 2002.

The UK’s pledge cut lands awkwardly. Later this month, it will co-host a meeting with South Africa to refill the Global Fund through 2025.

The Global Fund targets to raise $18 billion, which could save an estimated 23 million lives between 2027 and 2029.

And the UK’s investment could potentially save up to 1.3 million lives, according to UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.