TB33% Campaign is one of the Community Delegation’s flagship projects, carried out together with the Developing Country NGO Delegation, TBPEOPLE Global, African Coalition against TB and other partners.
TB33% Campaign was initiated by a group of community and civil society organizations in response to the Global Disease Split – the formula of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund), whereby 50% of its resources are allocated to HIV, 32% to malaria and only 18% to tuberculosis (TB). This approach, known as the Global Disease Split, was introduced in 2002, when the Global Fund was created, and is based on the so-called global disease burden. In spite of developments since 2002, the formula has never been reviewed. As a result, TB, which now kills more people than HIV and malaria combined, continues to receive 18% of the Global Fund resources.
TB33% Campaign aims to push the Global Fund to reform its inequitable model of resource distribution by disease and to ensure that TB response receives an adequate share of its funding, corresponding to the dire scale of the epidemic and its impact. The Campaign will achieve this by engaging people and communities affected by TB, civil society, technical partners, and donors to call on the Global Fund as the largest international financer of TB programs to review its Global Disease Split formula. The Campaign is calling for an increase in the Global Fund financing of the TB response to at least 33%, emphasizing the high mortality rates, high rates of people missing diagnosis and care, low uptake of new tools, the dramatic impact of COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on the global TB response, as well as the limited international funding available. Without a considerable increase in international funding for TB, the world is doomed to fail miserably on its commitment to end TB by 2030.
It should be noted that the Campaign was acknowledged by the Stop TB Partnership Board:
33rd Board meeting, November 2020, Decision point 33-3 (Financing the TB Response):
- The Board recommends that the Secretariat works with partners during 2021 to increase resource investments for TB. The Board commends the three Civil Society Constituencies for drawing attention to the importance of ensuring evidence-driven and equitable approach to disease burden allocations through their launch of the TB33% Campaign. The Board requests the Secretariat to support partners in resource mobilization efforts to ensure the full spectrum of activities needed for a robust response to the TB epidemic, from research to implementation, including prevention.
34th Board meeting, September 2021, Decision point 34-5 (Global Fund):
- The Board acknowledges the work of the Secretariat, WHO and other partners in the discussions around the allocation of Global Fund resources and particularly on the “global disease split”. The Board notes that the 18% allocation for TB is completely inadequate in the context of TB having the highest mortality among the three diseases, with TB accounting for more deaths than HIV and malaria combined, the largest funding gap to achieve global 2030 targets on ending the three epidemics, the highest impact of COVID-19 on TB epidemic and the multiple opportunities for scale up of the TB response. The Board notes that “global disease split” conversations should consider the critical role Global Fund plays as the main external funder for the TB response, the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on TB programs, and the TB burden across Global Fund eligible countries. As the Global Fund moves towards a decision on resource allocation, the Board recognizes that the Partnership´s TB Affected Communities and Developing Country NGO Constituencies have called for an allocation of 33% of Global Fund resources to TB and urges the Global Fund to adequately increase its funding for TB. The Board calls upon all stakeholders to work towards finding a solution that increases resources for TB while protecting the progress achieved against HIV/AIDS and malaria and preventing any significant net shift of resources from lower to higher income countries.
Within the framework of the Campaign, a petition was launched to demand the Global Fund to review the disease split. The petition can be signed by both individuals and organizations.