The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has welcomed a new £6 million investment from GSK and its HIV specialist company ViiV Healthcare to strengthen community-led health responses in low-income countries. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match the commitment, bringing the total investment to £12 million.
Announced at a high-level event in London ahead of the Global Fund’s 8th Replenishment Pledging Summit in November, the funding aims to accelerate progress in tackling three of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases through locally driven initiatives.
Deborah Waterhouse, CEO of ViiV Healthcare and President of Global Health at GSK, said the partnership reflects a belief that “sustainable health impact begins with empowering communities and the local organisations that know them best.”
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the announcement, noting the Global Fund’s role in saving 70 million lives since 2002. “The fight isn’t over,” she said, highlighting the impact of climate change on malaria, persistent HIV stigma, and TB’s deadly toll. “Private sector investment and innovation are key to ending AIDS, TB and malaria.”
The United Kingdom and South Africa are co-hosting the Global Fund’s 8th Replenishment, which will support programmes for 2027–2029. To date, over US$3 billion has been raised, including more than US$1 billion from private sector donors.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, welcomed GSK and ViiV Healthcare’s renewed commitment to innovation and equity, calling for partners to “match this spirit of solidarity and ambition.”
Joe Cerrell, Managing Director at the Gates Foundation, confirmed that the new GSK and ViiV contribution will activate part of the Foundation’s up to US$100 million matching fund to encourage greater private and philanthropic investment.
Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, said the pledge “sends a powerful message” about the impact of public-private partnerships. “The innovation of the private sector is central to our progress,” he said, adding that the investment will help ensure those most affected—particularly women and girls—can access life-saving care.
The new funding will support community-led programmes across high-burden regions, reinforcing the role of grassroots leadership in building resilient health systems and advancing the global effort to end HIV, TB, and malaria.