The development community is eyeing the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria replenishment on Sept. 17 as a litmus test for aid under U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and the new head of the country’s Department for International Development, Priti Patel.
A number of civil society groups have focused their post-Brexit advocacy on the Global Fund and are pushing for London to remove a self-imposed cap of donating 10 percent of the total request. Yet many worry May’s trade-driven agenda and Patel’s track record as an aid skeptic could mean a funding cut, even as pressure for a generous contribution mounts from the aid community and other top donors, including the European Commission and Canada.
“Now, more than ever, we need to be demonstrating that we are an outward looking nation, which is determined to keep its commitments to the world’s poorest,” Ali Louis, political affairs adviser for Bond — a consortium of international aid groups in the U.K. — told Devex, speaking about the upcoming replenishment in Montreal, Canada.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
