24 December 2016    3404 visit
2016 highlights according to GF staffs

2016 highlights according to GF staffs

Colleagues at the Global Fund offer personal reflections on some of the highlights of 2016.   

“My highlight of 2016 is WHO recommending a shorter treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant TB. The Global Fund supported pilot projects to validate the effectiveness of this new regimen, especially in West and Central Africa. Not only does it reduce the length of treatment by half for many patients, it also cuts the costs by at least 50 percent – sometimes more. So it’s a win-win, with lower costs and better results because fewer people interrupt treatment or are lost to follow-up health services.”
Eliud Wandwalo, Senior Disease Coordinator, TB.
Photo: The Global Fund / Nana Kofi Acquah

“In 2016, we finalized a Global Fund strategy and funding allocations that will deliver real impact for the people who need it most. It address the needs of key populations, the growing threat of multidrug-resistant TB and the highest burden malaria countries. We are also focused on sustaining successful programs as countries transition from Global Fund support, and supporting delivery of lifesaving services in places affected by conflicts and emergencies. Lots to keep us busy in 2017!”
Harley Feldbaum, Head of Strategy and Policy
Photo: The Global Fund / John Rae

Chief of Staff Marijke Wijnroks will always remember her 2016 trip to Swaziland. “We had amazing discussions with young women ages 17-24 – the age of my own daughters – who openly talked about HIV, sexuality, empowerment, poverty, peer pressure and their dreams. As one of them said: ‘We might have a disadvantaged background but that doesn’t mean we have a disadvantaged future.’ It was one of those days I feel so privileged to do the job that I am doing and to work with such a fantastic team.”
Photo: The Global Fund / Juda Ngwenya

“A highlight in 2016 was participating in a session at the International AIDS Conference in Durban that focused on the history of AIDS activism. Hearing from activists across the generations with stories ranging from the 1980s to the current day and reflecting on how far we’ve come from those early days thanks to the passion, resilience, creativity and commitment of our diverse global family. But the session was also an important reminder of all the work that lies ahead of us and the new challenges we will face – both in HIV and in the broader fight for global health and justice as we head into 2017.”
Kate Thomson, Head of Community Rights and Gender
Photo: AIDS2016.org

“The AIDS conference in Durban was the highlight of my year. The meeting made it clear that to achieve impact in the HIV response, we have to focus on program quality; it is not just about what you do, it is also about how you do it. We also heard loud and clear that we cannot treat ourselves out of the HIV epidemic – both prevention and treatment are key. There was also a strong emphasis on tackling the HIV epidemic among women and girls. We have to treat it like baking a cake – every ingredient is essential. You have to keep girls and young women in school, you have to find ways to fight gender inequalities, you have to offer condoms and other preventive services, you have to provide treatment.”
Ade Fakoya, Senior Disease Coordinator, HIV.
Photo: AIDS2016.org

Linda Mafu, Head of Political & Civil Society Advocacy, also reflected on the AIDS Conference. “In July, we went back to Durban to proudly contemplate a beautiful contrast. Sixteen years ago, civil society organizations and families were desperately marching for the right to life. In 2016, we are marching with the same crowd to celebrate the lives of millions of people living with HIV who are hopeful and are able today to plan their future. We have come a long way, and we can’t stop now. We are determined to end healthcare inequalities – it’s not just about HIV, it’s our whole approach to global health.”
Photo: The Global Fund / Ernest Waititu

“2016 has been the most remarkable year for private fundraising. Not only did the contributions from the private sector doubled, but several business leaders also stood up to rally their peers around the Global Fund’s vision. 2016 also saw the rise of new philanthropists becoming champions for global health and growing investments from faith-based organizations to end these epidemics for good.”
Patrik Silborn, Head of Private Sector Engagement
Photo: World Economic Forum / Moritz Hager

“Sri Lanka was declared malaria free in 2016, which is a victory not only for that country but for the global fight. The Global Fund makes significant investments to shrink the malaria map – working inward from the current geographic margins of the disease. Last year, 10 countries and territories reported fewer than 150 indigenous cases of malaria, so we are making real progress on the global target of eliminating malaria in at least 10 countries by 2020.”
Scott Filler, Senior Disease Coordinator, Malaria
Photo: The Global Fund / Kuni Takahashi