Activism

Barbara Lee Hails Pres. Biden’s Pledge of $6 Billion to Battle AIDS, TB and Malaria

“Twenty years after we established the initial framework for the Global Fund, it has become a powerful force for change within the global health infrastructure, saving over 44 million lives from AIDS, TB, and malaria,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). “I commend the Biden Administration’s announcement of an additional $6 billion in funding for the Global Fund and look forward to continuing to partner with the administration and our partners in the fight to save lives and see the first AIDS-free generation.”

Published

3 years ago

September 25, 2022

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee was inspired by her predecessor, the late Congressman Ron Dellums, to establish the framework for the Global Fund.

By Sean Ryan

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) applauded the Biden Administration’s announcement on Wednesday of $6 billion in new funding for the Global Fund at the Seventh Replenishment Conference during this year’s United Nations General Assembly.

The United States is proud to be a founding member of, and the largest single donor to, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund). Started in 2002, the Global Fund is a unique financing mechanism that relies on a dynamic partnership among governments, the private sector, and civil society to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria in ways that contribute to strengthening health systems.

“Twenty years after we established the initial framework for the Global Fund, it has become a powerful force for change within the global health infrastructure, saving over 44 million lives from AIDS, TB, and malaria,” said Lee. “I commend the Biden Administration’s announcement of an additional $6 billion in funding for the Global Fund and look forward to continuing to partner with the administration and our partners in the fight to save lives and see the first AIDS-free generation.”

The 2023 State, Foreign Operation, and Related Programs House bill includes $2 billion for the Global Fund in support of the $6 billion, three-year pledge announced by the United States on Wednesday.

Lee was inspired by her predecessor, the late Congressman Ron Dellums, to establish the framework for the Global Fund. She worked closely with Republican Jim Leach to get H. Res. 3519, the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000, through the Banking Committee, which was eventually signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000. The legislation was later championed at the United Nations by the late Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Sean Ryan is a member of the Media Relations team for Congresswoman Lee’s office.