(L-R) Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Franz Fayot, Luxembourg’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs;
Credit: MAEE
On Tuesday 31 May 2022, the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Peter Sands, paid an official visit to Luxembourg.
Peter Sands was welcomed for a meeting with Franz Fayot, Luxembourg’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs. The Global Fund is a key partner of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation, which mobilises and allocates funds every three years to support middle-income and low-income countries in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. Between its inception in 2002 and June 2021, the Global Fund has disbursed more than $53 billion in support of the fight against these three diseases and programmes to strengthen health systems in more than 155 countries. Luxembourg has supported the Global Fund since its creation in 2002 and has helped save more than 27 million lives through its contributions.
The meeting allowed Minister Fayot to reaffirm the Luxembourg Development Cooperation's support for the Global Fund, especially in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a drop in the number of screenings and prevention of the three diseases for the first time since 20 years. In this context, Minister Fayot announced Luxembourg's financial contribution of €11.7 million for the period from 2023 to 2025 to the Global Fund. Luxembourg is thus the third country to announce its pledge ahead of the seventh replenishment conference, which will be hosted by the United States (US) this autumn.
The discussions also focused on Luxembourg's priorities as an effective member of the Board of the Global Fund, a position that Luxembourg will hold for the very first time from July 2023 to July 2025.
Mr Sands' visit also gave rise to a meeting in the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg's parliament) with the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Cooperation, Immigration and Asylum, Yves Cruchten, and the Chairman of the Health and Sports Committee, Mars Di Bartolomeo, as well as with the members of the various committees.
