Calling for a strong UK pledge to Global Fund’s replenishment

The world is on the brink of ending AIDS - if we choose to. Two decades of extraordinary progress have transformed HIV from a global crisis into a manageable condition for millions. Now the recent development of game-changing long-acting prevention medicines means that, if we can make them affordable and accessible, we can catapult the HIV response towards the finish line. We could actually meet the global target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. What an amazing global win that would be. 

And yet the progress made and this incredible opportunity to end AIDS now hang in the balance. The global HIV response already took a major hit at the start of the year from US overseas aid cuts but now there is a worry that the United Kingdom may waver on its commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria - the partnership that has saved 70 million lives since 2002 and supports over 100 countries to deliver lifesaving care.

For millions around the world, the Global Fund is the difference between life and death. It provides HIV treatment, testing and prevention to those who need it most. Together with South Africa, the United Kingdom is co-hosting the Fund’s next replenishment in November. It is a moment that could decide whether we finish the fight against AIDS or turn our backs on decades of hard-won progress.

Since 2010, AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 51 per cent. Yet in 2024 alone, 630,000 people still died of AIDS-related illness and 1.3 million people were newly diagnosed with HIV. If funding falls short, clinics will close, treatment will stall and lives will once again be lost unnecessarily. What took 20 years of collective effort could unravel in a fraction of that time.

Yet, just as we face this risk, advances in science and medicine have brought us closer than ever to both ending AIDS as a public health threat globally and ending HIV infections in the United Kingdom. The UK National Health Service is rolling out the first long-acting injection to prevent HIV, a treatment taken every two months that could end new infections in the United Kingdom by 2030. Globally, another breakthrough, Lenacapavir, will be available for just GBP 33 (USD 40) per person per year. After decades of research, the tools to actually end AIDS are finally here, but science alone won’t finish the job without sustained funding and political resolve.

According to the Global Fund, a successful replenishment of GBP 13.3 billion (USD 18 billion) would save 23 million lives by 2029. A UK pledge of at least GBP 1 billion is vital to make that happen. Anything less would risk losing momentum when the finish line is finally in sight. The United Kingdom’s commitment would also help enable pledges from other donors and signal that global solidarity still matters at a time when many partnerships are under strain.

This is not just a moral or compassionate imperative. It’s a matter of self-interest and global stability. The Covid-19 pandemic showed how fragile our world is to health threats that cross borders. Strengthening systems that respond to HIV also means building laboratories, supply chains and healthcare workforces that are vital to stopping future outbreaks. Investment in the Global Fund is an investment in resilience and in the United Kingdom’s own security.

Communities on the frontlines are already showing what’s possible. In South Africa, initiatives like Impact Drivers are empowering young people to take control of their health, fight stigma and shape their future. Across Africa and beyond, activists and health workers are working in the most difficult conditions to deliver medicines, support testing, educate communities and save lives. But they can’t do it alone. 

The United Kingdom once led the world on global health and was hugely respected for its development diplomacy - from its leadership in co-founding the Global Fund to its legacy on tackling Ebola and Covid-19. It can regain this position. With its history of partnership, innovation and fairness, Britain’s voice carries weight. A strong UK pledge would reaffirm those values and show that this government still believes in global leadership and partnership that saves lives.

To step back now would be to abandon millions who still depend on our partnership and to turn away from one of the most hopeful opportunities in modern public health. Choosing to lead instead could help deliver an end to AIDS, for good.

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Mike Podmore is the CEO of STOPAIDS in the United Kingdom
Sibulele Sibaca Nomnganga is CEO of the South African social enterprise Impact Drivers