The Rt. Hon Liz Truss MP
Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AH4 August 2022Dear Foreign Secretary, We are writing to you as the Executive Committee of the UK Academics and Professionals Against Tuberculosis (UKAPTB) network to ask you to make a significant pledge to the upcoming replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in September.UKAPTB is a network of academics, researchers, students, nurses and doctors who advocate for the prevention, treatment and elimination of TB globally. Our members work in universities and hospitals across the UK; treating TB patients, developing innovative new drugs and diagnostic tools, sharing best practice and cutting-edge research, and leading the international community in the fight to eradicate TB.Before the Covid-19 pandemic, TB was the world’s deadliest infectious disease, with 10 million cases and 1.5 million deaths in 2020 alone, including 200,000 children. The situation has only worsened throughout the pandemic, with the Stop TB Partnership estimating that we have already lost 12 years of progress in the fight against TB since the start of 2020. TB is both preventable and curable but without investment in rapid diagnostics, healthcare services, treatments and psycho-social support people will continue to die. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is one of the world’s most impactful multilateral organisations, saving over 44 million lives since its founding in 2002. The Global Fund works to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.3.2 - to bring an end to the AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria epidemics by 2030 - through investments in programmes run by local experts in more than 100 countries. In countries where the Global Fund invests, the number of deaths from HIV, TB and Malaria have reduced by 46% since 2002. The Global Fund accounts for 77% of all TB financing annually, which only serves to highlight their importance in the fight to eradicate TB globally.In September, the Global Fund will be hosting their Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York. This event can serve as a watershed moment in the fight to eradicate global TB, but only if the Global Fund reaches its pledging target of $18bn for the next three-year cycle. President Biden has already committed to pledging $6bn to the Global Fund’s replenishment, but US legislation means this amount will decrease if the Global Fund does not meet its pledging target. As such, it is vital that the entire international community step up to ensure that the replenishment is a success. The UK can play a leading role in the Global Fund’s replenishment campaign, bringing together partners and allies from around the world to make a significant pledge which sufficiently accounts for the scale of the challenge we are facing. The UK Government can begin to take the lead by ensuring that the Global Fund’s ask of the UK Government - £1.8bn over three years - is met. Not only will this secure additional funding from the US Government, but it will also encourage our friends and allies to follow the UK’s lead and pledge generously.We would welcome an opportunity to discuss our work to eradicate TB globally, the work of the Global Fund, or the work of the UKAPTB with you in more detail. We would also happily host you in one of our member institutions across the UK if that would be more convenient for you. We look forward to hearing from you and to a positive commitment by the British government to Global Fund replenishment.Yours sincerely,Dr Kerry Millington & Dr Jessica Potter
Co-Chairs of UKAPTB
