Churches urge commitment to Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria

Canon Gideon Byamugisha speaking during the conference. Photo: AHF Kenya

Source: WCC

Gathering in Nairobi from 28-29 May, religious leaders and people living with and affected by HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria analyzed global events affecting their people.

"We are alarmed that millions are at risk of being left behind as major international donors withdraw support from health programs that save lives," they said in a statement released after the gathering.

In 2023, UNAIDS reported 1.3 million new HIV infections and 630,000 AIDS-related deaths. Also, 265 million malaria cases and 630,000 deaths were reported with 75 percent occurring among children under five years. And 10.8 million tuberculosis infections and 1.25 million deaths were reported.

"We are the backbone of our countries," reads the message from the gathering. "We are workers, taxpayers, mothers, fathers, and young people shaping our continent's future."

When people get sick, their families, economies, and nations suffer. "The right to health is enshrined in our constitutions-and in our faith," reads the statement. "Investing in the health of our communities is an investment in the stability, prosperity, and social fabric of our countries."

The participants recognized the critical role of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. "While global solidarity is crucial, national ownership is equally essential," reads the message. "We call on our governments to review health budgets, increase domestic funding, and progressively take responsibility for programs previously supported by international donors."

The message also notes that caring for the vulnerable and healing the sick are sacred duties.

"Reducing inequalities in health is not only good governance-it is an act of faith and justice," reads the message. "It is a way to make the Kingdom of God visible among us."

Those gathered made an urgent call to retake the moral responsibility to care for the vulnerable, and to sustain life and hope for communities in great need. "The right to health enables the exercise of all other rights," reads the message. "People are the wealth of our nations-when we are sick. the entire nation is weakened."

The message calls on governments, donor countries, and the private sector to step up their commitment to the Global Fund, ensuring a successful replenishment. "We ask these donors to urgently commit to and fully fund the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria," concludes the message. "We urge continued efforts to close equity gaps, to give hope, and to defend the sanctity of life."