The European Commission has lowered its contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria as donors worldwide scale back contributions to global health aid.
The European Commission has pledged €700 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to be implemented between 2027 and 2029.
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Of this amount, €185 million will be immediately available under the bloc's current long-term budget.
"Global health security is a shared responsibility and a strategic investment in our common future," Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, said after the announcement.
He added that the European Union confirms its commitment to strengthening health systems and global health resilience, and remains a reliable partner committed to international cooperation and long-term investment in global health.
The total amount raised by the Global Fund reached $12.64 billion (€10.82 billion), falling short of the $18 billion (€15.4 billion) target. The previous pledge for 2023–2025 raised $15.7 billion (€13.6 billion), the largest sum the fund has ever secured.
The Global Fund is one of the largest international organisations working to eradicate malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. Every three years, it holds a so-called "replenishment", during which donors pledge new funding for a fresh cycle.
The Commission's latest pledge, unveiled at the One Health Summit in Lyon, marks a €15 million drop from the €715 million it provided from 2023 to 2025.
EU 'remains key partner'
Overall, the contribution of Team Europe, which encompasses the Commission and the European Union’s member states, reached more than €3 billion, down from the €4.3 billion raised during the previous period.
Germany committed €1 billion, compared to €1.3 billion in the last cycle, while Italy pledged €150 million, down from €185 million in 2022.
The Netherlands did increase the amount it contributed, from €180 million in 2022 to €195.2 million. However, its donation period will cover the period 2026–2029, one year longer than the previous cycle.
Still, the European Commission and EU member states remain among the Global Fund’s key partners, a Global Fund spokesperson told Euronews Health, "contributing more than €3 billion to the Eighth Replenishment, and around one third of total contributions since 2002."
The spokesperson added that the organisation is very grateful for the European Commission’s renewed commitment.
"It reaffirms Europe’s leadership in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and strengthens our shared efforts to drive innovation, market-shaping, and regional manufacturing, expanding access to lifesaving tools for those who need them most."
How will this money be used?
While welcoming all contributions, the Global Fund warned that the drop in funding threatens progress toward eradicating the three diseases, and noted that efforts to mobilise additional resources will continue.
Given the "resource-constrained environment", the organisation has shifted its focus towards the poorest countries with the heaviest disease burden to accelerate self-reliance.
"Supporting countries to transition away from Global Fund support is not new; what is new is the scale and pace of transition we are now driving," said Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund.
"We will work with countries to reinforce sustainability and accelerate their journey to self-reliance; supporting, incentivising, and, ultimately, getting out of the way."
Widespread cuts to global health
The Global Fund is not the only organisation experiencing funding cuts and witnessing the shifting priorities of international partners. Donors worldwide are cutting their contributions to global health and international aid.
The United States halted all humanitarian aid and dismantled its Agency for International Development (USAID). The country also officially withdrew from the World Health Organisation at the start of the year, a move later followed by Argentina.
A recent study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, estimated an additional 22.6 million deaths by 2030 if the current funding cuts continue.
This includes around 5.4 million children under the age of five across 93 low- and middle-income countries.
Health challenges persist
Malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV remain some of the most widespread and dangerous diseases across the globe.
More than 10.7 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, and around 1.2 million people died from the disease in 2024, according to the latest WHO data.
Globally, TB is the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, and among the top 10 causes of death.
According to the World Malaria Report 2025, malaria remains a serious global health challenge, with an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths in 2024, around 9 million more cases than the previous year.
HIV also remains a major global public health concern, with an estimated 40.8 million people living with HIV at the end of 2024, including 1.3 million new infections and 630,000 AIDS-related deaths annually.
