Among the most prominent global health partnerships in the world is the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund), which became operational in January 2002. By 1 December 2008, the Global Fund had signed grant agreements worth US $10.2 billion for 579 grants in 137 countries, and has disbursed US$ 6.8 billion to grant recipients. The Global Fund is the leading financing mechanism in the case of tuberculosis and malaria, where it contributes 66% and 45% of all international funding, respectively. In the case of HIV/AIDS, the Global Fund strongly interacts with other financing institutions like the World Bank and the bilateral agencies and makes up approximately 20% of all international funding. It originally aimed at an additional contribution of $15 billion/year. It became clear, however, that it would not be able to mobilise that amount of resources and the latest calculations estimate a need for $3.5 billion in 2006 and $3.6 billion in 2007. In order to meet these needs, additional pledges by donor countries and by private actors are necessary.
Action: Europe should embark on a critical assessment of financing for global health and develop a common approach to international cooperation in support of global public goods and in support of foreign aid. It should explore new financing mechanisms (possibly like the carbon tax) to ensure the three strategic priorities of global health: security, equity and good governance.