The Global Fund hopes to raise $14 billion at Lyon conference

With a minimum target of 14 billion US dollars (just over 12 billion euros), the Global Fund will meet in the French city of Lyon for its Sixth Replenishment Investment Case  on Wednesday and Thursday to see how this target can be met.

A woman participates in a campaign focused on the prevention of AIDS in Kathamandu, November 30, 2016 n). REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Announced at the start of 2019, the Global Fund outlined what $14 billion could do  to build better health systems globally by 2023. However, it also noted that could be hindered by new threats if no immediate action is taken.

The Global Fund provides 20 percent of all international financing for HIV programmes.

As a founding member of Global Fund, France will host the conference, with the president, Emmanuel Macron, stressing the need for global collaboration to end the epidemics.

Through the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, (SDG 3) to end HIV, TB and malaria epidemics by 2030, new threats have created obstacles to attaining those goals. These include weak funding, increased use of insecticides and drug resistance medicines.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund partnership says it has saved more than 27 million lives, adding the number of people dying specifically from AIDS, TB and malaria has been cut by one-third.

For example, in 2018 investments across 20 countries translated into 18.9 million people were given antiretroviral therapy for HIV, 5.3 million with TB were treated and 131 million mosquito nets were distributed against malaria.

Such action can only be done in conjunction with partners that include bilateral partners, private sector companies, civil society groups and those directly affected by such diseases.

In August, Canada pledged nearly €7 billion Euros ; a 24 percent increase from its previous pledge, while Germany announced a €1 billion donation, a 17.6 percent increase on previous sums. At the start of this month, Denmark pledged €46 million, an increase of 16.6 percent from its previous pledge.

The conference opens officially at 12:40 pm GMT on Wednesday, with President Macron and the head of the UN Antonio Guterres, due to speak on Thursday.