Activists stunned by Global Fund decision to end funding for regional HIV programming in Africa

The Global Fund recently announced a list of priorities for multi-country funding for the 2017-2019 cycle. Of the $260 million available, some is ear-marked for pre-identified applicants and some will be open to competitive applications, though the eligible regions and objectives of the grants are prescribed by the Global Fund (see GFO article).

Noticeably absent from the list is any funding for multi-country approaches for HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa – the region hardest hit by the disease. The Global Fund has indicated that the decision was based on technical partners’ guidance and information. Activists have called it “frustrating” and “irresponsible.”

(Aidspan invited Seth Faison, the Global Fund’s Head of Communications to comment on a draft of this article. He provided a statement which we have included at the end of this article.)

Currently, the Global Fund is investing $59.3 million in eight multi-country HIV grants in Africa (see table), the majority of which end in 2018 without possibility of renewal.

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