logo
Health advocates urge Carney not to delay pledge for UN Global Fund fighting AIDS, TB

Health advocates urge Carney not to delay pledge for UN Global Fund fighting AIDS, TB

CTV News2 days ago
A health worker administers the malaria vaccine R21/Matrix-M to a child at the comprehensive Health Centre in Agudama-Epie, in Yenagoa, Nigeria, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
OTTAWA — AIDS activists are urging the federal government to quickly renew Canada's support for fighting infectious diseases abroad, warning delays will further hinder global efforts to combat key illnesses.
'While some of the other nations around the world are retreating right now from investing in global health, Canada can and should be stepping forward swiftly, to save lives,' said Justin McAuley, a director with the Canadian branch of the ONE Campaign.
His group is among 24 Canadian civil society organizations that asked the government to allocate $1.37 billion over three years for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The fund is affiliated with the United Nations, and it supports developing countries in limiting and treating the three preventable illnesses, which in many regions are among the leading causes of death.
Canada is one of the world's top supporters of the fund, which makes up the largest chunk of Ottawa's global health spending. Canada has contributed nearly $5 billion to the Global Fund since 2002, and the fund estimates it has saved 65 million lives in that time.
Countries replenish the fund every three years, with their contributions usually rising over time as health-care systems build more capacity to treat and prevent these diseases.
In each cycle, civil society groups issue what they call a fair-share metric to reflect how much each wealthy country can reasonably pledge to help the fund reach its goals.
The office of Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, referred questions about the $1.37 billion request to Global Affairs Canada.
'Canada looks forward to working together as part of the Global Fund partnership to secure a successful eighth replenishment of the fund this year,' the department wrote in a statement. 'Discussions regarding Canada's pledge are ongoing.'
McAuley said he hopes Ottawa announces its pledge soon, to build momentum for other countries to follow suit.
'Canada has a unique role and legacy to play in the global health space,' he said. 'Our momentum will mean something on the world stage — if we come out early, and don't wait for the last minute.'
Results Canada, another group asking Ottawa to meet the civil society target, noted the G7 summit that Canada hosted in Alberta 'focused on trade, conflict and climate — but overlooked two of the most powerful tools for global stability: health and education.'
That has put the legacy of the Global Fund 'under threat,' the group argued in an email campaign. 'As countries cut international assistance, decades of hard-won gains hang in the balance.'
UNAIDS reported on July 10 that HIV infections and deaths continue to drop, but sudden cuts by the United States and others 'threaten to reverse years of progress in the response to HIV.'
U.S. Republicans recently reversed plans to cut PEPFAR, the world's largest HIV program, but Washington is still on track to slash its contribution to the Global Fund.
Countries normally make pledges at an organized conference, such as the last cycle when prime minister Justin Trudeau visited the United Nations in New York in 2022.
This year, there is no pledging conference, though McAuley expects leaders of large economies to make pledges before visiting South Africa for the G20 summit in November.
He said global health is already under pressure from armed conflicts, climate-related events and the ongoing recovery of health systems from cutbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rich countries are cutting back on foreign aid as they increase military spending.
Prime Minister Mark Carney promised in last spring's election to not cut foreign aid spending or development financing, though this was before he launched a review of government spending and committed to large amounts of military-related spending.
McAuley said Carney ought to meet the metric outlined by civil society, or he'll be offside with his two last predecessors.
'Both Harper and Trudeau repeatedly stepped up and did Canada's fair share,' he said. 'Is Carney going to break that pattern now and step back?'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nunavik health board proposes hiring private staff to help curb tuberculosis outbreak
Nunavik health board proposes hiring private staff to help curb tuberculosis outbreak

CBC

time2 days ago

  • CBC

Nunavik health board proposes hiring private staff to help curb tuberculosis outbreak

Facing an ongoing tuberculosis outbreak, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services in northern Quebec will soon present an action plan to try and curb infections. Most notably, the plan, which was shared with Radio-Canada prior to its release, calls for hiring agency health-care professionals to better support communities in the grips of the outbreak. Since January, 69 cases of the potentially deadly disease have already been reported, with outbreaks declared in six communities. If the trend continues, doctors have said they fear 2025 could see a new record of confirmed cases, surpassing the 95 that were reported in 2024. Earlier this year, communities tried to have the situation declared as a public health emergency. Outside support The board's plan aims to increase the capacity for handling patients and also find ways to bolster its response to the tuberculosis outbreaks with more staff. In the short term, the board wants to increase the number of clinic spaces in communities that can accommodate people with the infection. Communities have said they need more ways to try and isolate patients and prevent the spread of the disease. The region's lack of suitable housing — nearly half of residents live in overcrowded homes — has contributed to the outbreaks, and has also limited the ability to respond to them. The plan proposes hiring additional support staff through private agencies, but recognizes the need to find appropriate housing. Public health is also working to try and acquire more X-ray machines and corresponding analysis services to diagnose cases more quickly. According to the board, discussions are ongoing with Quebec's Ministry of Health to secure funding for the plan.

Health advocates urge Carney to respect pledge for UN Global Fund fighting AIDS, TB
Health advocates urge Carney to respect pledge for UN Global Fund fighting AIDS, TB

National Observer

time2 days ago

  • National Observer

Health advocates urge Carney to respect pledge for UN Global Fund fighting AIDS, TB

AIDS activists are urging the federal government to quickly renew Canada's support for fighting infectious diseases abroad, warning delays will further hinder global efforts to combat key illnesses. "While some of the other nations around the world are retreating right now from investing in global health, Canada can and should be stepping forward swiftly, to save lives," said Justin McAuley, a director with the Canadian branch of the ONE Campaign. His group is among 24 Canadian civil society organizations that asked the government to allocate $1.37 billion over three years for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The fund is affiliated with the United Nations, and it supports developing countries in limiting and treating the three preventable illnesses, which in many regions are among the leading causes of death. Canada is one of the world's top supporters of the fund, which makes up the largest chunk of Ottawa's global health spending. Canada has contributed nearly $5 billion to the Global Fund since 2002, and the fund estimates it has saved 65 million lives in that time. Countries replenish the fund every three years, with their contributions usually rising over time as health-care systems build more capacity to treat and prevent these diseases. In each cycle, civil society groups issue what they call a fair-share metric to reflect how much each wealthy country can reasonably pledge to help the fund reach its goals. The office of Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, referred questions about the $1.37 billion request to Global Affairs Canada. "Canada looks forward to working together as part of the Global Fund partnership to secure a successful eighth replenishment of the fund this year," the department wrote in a statement. "Discussions regarding Canada's pledge are ongoing." McAuley said he hopes Ottawa announces its pledge soon, to build momentum for other countries to follow suit. "Canada has a unique role and legacy to play in the global health space," he said. "Our momentum will mean something on the world stage — if we come out early, and don't wait for the last minute." Results Canada, another group asking Ottawa to meet the civil society target, noted the G7 summit that Canada hosted in Alberta "focused on trade, conflict and climate — but overlooked two of the most powerful tools for global stability: health and education." That has put the legacy of the Global Fund "under threat," the group argued in an email campaign. "As countries cut international assistance, decades of hard-won gains hang in the balance." UNAIDS reported on July 10 that HIV infections and deaths continue to drop, but sudden cuts by the United States and others "threaten to reverse years of progress in the response to HIV." US Republicans recently reversed plans to cut PEPFAR, the world's largest HIV program, but Washington is still on track to slash its contribution to the Global Fund. Countries normally make pledges at an organized conference, such as the last cycle when prime minister Justin Trudeau visited the United Nations in New York in 2022. This year, there is no pledging conference, though McAuley expects leaders of large economies to make pledges before visiting South Africa for the G20 summit in November. He said global health is already under pressure from armed conflicts, climate-related events and the ongoing recovery of health systems from cutbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rich countries are cutting back on foreign aid as they increase military spending. Prime Minister Mark Carney promised in last spring's election to not cut foreign aid spending or development financing, though this was before he launched a review of government spending and committed to large amounts of military-related spending. McAuley said Carney ought to meet the metric outlined by civil society, or he'll be offside with his two last predecessors. "Both Harper and Trudeau repeatedly stepped up and did Canada's fair share," he said. "Is Carney going to break that pattern now and step back?"

Canada must renew support to fight AIDS, TB abroad, advocates urge
Canada must renew support to fight AIDS, TB abroad, advocates urge

Global News

time2 days ago

  • Global News

Canada must renew support to fight AIDS, TB abroad, advocates urge

AIDS activists are urging the federal government to quickly renew Canada's support for fighting infectious diseases abroad, warning delays will further hinder global efforts to combat key illnesses. 'While some of the other nations around the world are retreating right now from investing in global health, Canada can and should be stepping forward swiftly, to save lives,' said Justin McAuley, a director with the Canadian branch of the ONE Campaign. His group is among 24 Canadian civil society organizations that asked the government to allocate $1.37 billion over three years for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The fund is affiliated with the United Nations, and it supports developing countries in limiting and treating the three preventable illnesses, which in many regions are among the leading causes of death. Story continues below advertisement Canada is one of the world's top supporters of the fund, which makes up the largest chunk of Ottawa's global health spending. Canada has contributed nearly $5 billion to the Global Fund since 2002, and the fund estimates it has saved 65 million lives in that time. Countries replenish the fund every three years, with their contributions usually rising over time as health-care systems build more capacity to treat and prevent these diseases. In each cycle, civil society groups issue what they call a fair-share metric to reflect how much each wealthy country can reasonably pledge to help the fund reach its goals. 2:38 Risk of 2,000 new HIV infections daily after US aid freeze, UN AIDS agency estimates The office of Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, referred questions about the $1.37 billion request to Global Affairs Canada. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Canada looks forward to working together as part of the Global Fund partnership to secure a successful eighth replenishment of the fund this year,' the department wrote in a statement. 'Discussions regarding Canada's pledge are ongoing.' Story continues below advertisement McAuley said he hopes Ottawa announces its pledge soon, to build momentum for other countries to follow suit. 'Canada has a unique role and legacy to play in the global health space,' he said. 'Our momentum will mean something on the world stage — if we come out early, and don't wait for the last minute.' Results Canada, another group asking Ottawa to meet the civil society target, noted the G7 summit that Canada hosted in Alberta 'focused on trade, conflict and climate — but overlooked two of the most powerful tools for global stability: health and education.' That has put the legacy of the Global Fund 'under threat,' the group argued in an email campaign. 'As countries cut international assistance, decades of hard-won gains hang in the balance.' UNAIDS reported on July 10 that HIV infections and deaths continue to drop, but sudden cuts by the United States and others 'threaten to reverse years of progress in the response to HIV.' U.S. Republicans recently reversed plans to cut PEPFAR, the world's largest HIV program, but Washington is still on track to slash its contribution to the Global Fund. 2:11 USAID cuts: South Africa-led HIV vaccine development comes to a halt Countries normally make pledges at an organized conference, such as the last cycle when prime minister Justin Trudeau visited the United Nations in New York in 2022. Story continues below advertisement This year, there is no pledging conference, though McAuley expects leaders of large economies to make pledges before visiting South Africa for the G20 summit in November. He said global health is already under pressure from armed conflicts, climate-related events and the ongoing recovery of health systems from cutbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rich countries are cutting back on foreign aid as they increase military spending. Prime Minister Mark Carney promised in last spring's election to not cut foreign aid spending or development financing, though this was before he launched a review of government spending and committed to large amounts of military-related spending. McAuley said Carney ought to meet the metric outlined by civil society, or he'll be offside with his two last predecessors. 'Both Harper and Trudeau repeatedly stepped up and did Canada's fair share,' he said. 'Is Carney going to break that pattern now and step back?'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store