See a letter sent to the Prime Minister of Sweden regarding the 30% cuts of the Swedish funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the 2022 contribution
Magdalena Andersson,
Prime Minister of Sweden
Sweden
17 May 2022
Re: The 30% cuts of the Swedish funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the 2022 contribution
Dear Prime Minister,
We write to you on behalf of Women4GlobalFund (W4GF) Advocates and partners. We are a global network of gender equality advocates, committed to ensuring that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) programmes are gender-transformative to meet the rights and priorities of women and girls in all our diversity in 62 countries.[1]
We acknowledge and appreciate the Swedish Government’s commitment to contributing to equitable and sustainable global development. Sweden is essential to address global health as one of the eighth largest public donors to the Global Fund, with contributions of more than SEK 12.86 billion (USD1.7 billion).
We have heard and with great concern, that Sweden has announced funding cuts for 2022 for the Global Fund along with other multilateral organisations. The 30% cuts of the Global Fund for the 2022 contribution will have disastrous implications and we ask you to urgently reconsider as these are ongoing life-saving interventions. We also plea you to reconsider the other cuts included in the 18% deviation of Official Development Assistance (ODA).
We applauded the focus on human rights, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights outlined in Sweden’s Strategy for cooperation with the Global Fund and we need you to stay the course. In the last few years COVID-19 has drawn into sharp focus the uneven access to sexual and reproductive rights services and specific threats for the safety of women and their health. Now more than ever we need Sweden to maintain this focus given the situation facing women and girls the world over.
As we have heard from so many women about the challenges facing all of us. We are fighting for economic stability, food and nutrition security, our overall health and security (including safety when faced with violence), our self- determination, and agency to enjoy our sexual and reproductive rights and health. All of these areas heighten our risk to HIV, TB and malaria and make the lives of those of us living with the three diseases even more challenging. The last couple of years reminds us that providing health and social services to mitigate the impact of a disease cannot be dissociated from social issues like gender equality that define how service provision is designed, and which impact our ability to access services and to have bodily autonomy.
We urge you to maintain your commitment – especially in the lead up to the Global Fund’s 7th Replenishment, which will cover the period 2023-2025. Now more than ever we need the Swedish government to fight for what counts and reverse this decision by:
- Reinstating the initial and committed pledge made in the Global Fund`s 6th Replenishment
- Increasing Sweden’s pledge (30% is the overall target as per the Investment Case) in this 7thReplenishment cycle.
Given the vulnerabilities confronting women and young girls, exacerbated by emerging new health threats, the need for gender equality and rights-based approaches continues to drive our passion, making our work matter from the policy level right to the community level. We are doing what we can but we need your support too. We are relying on Sweden to keep up the momentum and continue to support gender transformative and affirming approaches in the Global Fund now and in the future.
Inequitable access to health services and commodities have exacerbated inequalities and undermined progress made. We are living in a fractured world and now more than ever we need Sweden. Withdrawing your support and contributions will jeopardize any gains made and will have devastating impacts for women and girls the world over. All your previous investment will not result in us being able to end AIDS by 2030.
We thank you for your leadership and hope for assurances of your highest consideration to this pressing matter of global concern.
Most respectfully
W4GF Global Coordinator
Cc: Minister of International Development, State secretary and Global Health Ambassador
[1] W4GF advocates in Albania, Argentina, America, Australian, Bangkok, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Dominican Republic, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Thailand, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.