We write to you on behalf of Women4GlobalFund (W4GF) Advocates and the Her Voice Fund. We are a global network of gender equality advocates from 62 countries1 , 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.
The French Ambassador for Global Health
Ambassador Stéphanie Seydoux, and
The Deputy Director of Human Development (HUMA), Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Honourable Joan Valadou
The Government of France
Paris, France
August 2022
Re: The French government’s commitment to the 7th Replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Ambassador Stéphanie Seydoux and Honourable Joan Valadou,
As a diverse network of women and girls, we have seized all opportunities to inform HIV, TB and malaria policies, strategies, and national responses. We are proud of our contributions and advocacy in the new Global Fund strategy (2023 -2028) to prioritise human rights and gender equality across the three diseases. Our local advocacy and active participation in Global Fund structures such as Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs), the Developing Country NGO delegation, and Communities delegation enable our voices to be heard and included in processes that affect our health, rights, and livelihoods.
France’s leadership and commitment to the Global Fund has been apparent for many years. to the success of the Global Fund. As a founding member of the Global Fund, the largest European donor, and second largest public donor, and an extraordinary host of the 6th Replenishment we wish to see your leadership once again in setting a precedent for increased contributions toward the 7th Replenishment.
We have less than 30 days left until the 7th Replenishment pledging conference in September, and it remains crucial for donors to mobilize and meet the US$18 billion target.
Since its inception and more recently through challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Fund proves effective and reliable in the fight against HIV, TB, and malaria. Your contribution to the Global Fund of €5.65 billion to date, has been instrumental in ensuring that women and girls, especially those living with HIV and young women in most affected countries, realise their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). We know this because about one third of Global Fund funding directly benefits SRHR, including activities like comprehensive sexuality education, addressing gender- based violence, and supporting girls to stay in school.
This makes the Global Fund arguably the largest multilateral provider of grants to improve the health and wellbeing of girls and women globally.
Our current context of unprecedented conflicts, pandemics, and economic uncertainties call for the urgent investment in health to ensure strong, resilient, and sustainable health systems. These realities exacerbate our experiences of inequality based on our gender and diversity.
Your pledge of 30% more than the previous cycle to this 7th Replenishment will enable the Global Fund to continue strengthening health systems across many countries, as we have seen in the case of Senegal. Through partnering with the Global Fund, Senegal was able to build its first national information system for malaria, which facilitated an increase of the population’s access to insecticide-treated mosquito nets from 10% to 73% between 2005 and 2019. More recently, as COVID-19 threatened human resources for health, the Global Fund supported the training of more than 2 million community health workers to ensure access to malaria services, especially in remote areas.
These 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. The full enjoyment of the right to health, in terms of access to quality and equitable health services, food security and adequate nutrition, economic justice, including safety against gender-based violence we experience remain goals we hope to realize in our lifetime.
We count on you to announce an increased pledge at the Conference and demonstrate strong leadership toward reaching the US$18 billion target for the 7th Replenishment.
Reaching US$18 billion would allow the Global Fund to reduce HIV incidence among adolescent girls and young women in the most affected countries by 72% and save 20 million lives (from 2024-2026) and reduce the mortality rate by 64% across the three diseases by 2026, relative to 2020 levels. We also know that every US$1 invested increases 31-fold and supports health gains and economic returns, further contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.
We are relying on you to keep up the momentum that France has created in 2019 with the hosting of the 6th replenishment, which saw an unprecedented level of funding raised. We count on France to continue to support gender transformative and affirming approaches, including through the Global Fund, now and in the future. Inequitable access to health services and commodities exacerbates inequalities and undermine progress made. Failing to commit 30% more than in the 6th Replenishment will undermine the ambition for the next three years and have devastating impacts for women and girls the world over, including on previous investments made by all donors.
We thank you for your leadership and hope for assurances of your highest consideration to this pressing matter of global concern.
French/Version Française
L’ambassadrice française pour la Santé Mondiale
Ambassadrice Stéphanie Seydoux
Le sous-directeur du développement humain (HUMA) -Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères
Honorable Joan Valadou
Le Gouvernement de la France
Nous vous écrivons au nom de Women4GlobalFund (W4GF) et du Her Voice Fund. Nous sommes un réseau mondial de défenseurs de l’égalité de genre issus de 62 pays, engagées à faire en sorte que les programmes du Fonds mondial de lutte contre le sida, la tuberculose et le paludisme (Fonds mondial) soient transformateurs de genre pour répondre aux droits et aux priorités des femmes et des filles dans toute leur diversité.
À quelques jours de la 7e conférence des donateurs de la reconstitution des ressources, qui aura lieu en septembre, nous nous tournons vers vous avec espoir en tant que membre fondateur du Fonds Mondial, premier donateur européen, et deuxième plus grand donateur public, et hôte extraordinaire de la 6ème reconstitution des ressources, nous souhaitons voir votre leadership pour créer un précédent en vue d’augmenter les contributions à la 7ème reconstitution.
Nous vous prions donc de bien vouloir accepter la lettre ci-jointe dans laquelle nous vous expliquons l’importance de votre précieuse contribution au niveau mondial.
Nous souhaitons développer ces informations si nécessaire et comptons sur votre précieux engagement. Nous vous remercions de votre leadership et espérons que vous accorderez la plus grande attention à cette question urgente d’intérêt mondial.
Très respectueusement et en toute solidarité,
Ángela León Cáceres ─ She/Her
W4GF Global Coordinator
W4GF is a dynamic global platform of women and gender equality advocates who share a deep commitment to ensuring that Global Fund programmes are gender-transformative to meet the rights and priorities of women and girls in all our diversity. For more information, contact Ángela León Cáceres, Global Coordinator, Women4GlobalFund (W4GF) EMAIL | WEB | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
The HER (HIV Epidemic Response) Voice Fund supports the meaningful engagement and leadership of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in decision-making spaces with the aim of reducing HIV incidence and improving our broader health, well-being, and rights. For more information, contact Maximina Jokonya, HER Voice Fund Coordinator, EMAIL| WEB, FACEBOOK|TWITTER
Headquartered in Senegal, Speak Up Africa is a policy and advocacy action tank dedicated to catalyzing leadership, enabling policy change, and increasing awareness for sustainable development in Africa. With ensuring health and well-being of all at our core, we support SDGs 1 to 6 in transforming societies throughout Africa. For more information, contact Maelle Ba, Strategic Communications Manager at Speak Up Africa | EMAIL | WEB | FACEBOOK | TWITTER