UK pledges £1.1bn to global aid fund against Aids, TB and malaria

Britain will contribute £1.1bn to a global aid fund to help fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria – but attach a set of “demanding” performance targets, Priti Patel has announced.

The international development secretary, who last week said too much of the UK’s aid budget is stolen or wasted, announced the three-year pledge alongside the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau. The investment in the Global Fund of about £366m a year will help the organisation save eight million lives from the diseases.

But it will be subject to a “performance agreement” – the first of its kind – which will see Britain monitor the fund’s work and withhold 10% of the money if targets are not met.

Patel said: “This latest round of UK investment demonstrates that Britain is keeping the promises it has made to the world’s poor while underlining the government’s commitment to tackle the great global challenges of our time, including disease, which is in the national interest. But even some of the best performing international aid institutions can improve and deliver better value for taxpayers and those in need.

“That is why we are using this investment in the Global Fund to secure a demanding performance agreement to make sure UK aid achieves the maximum possible impact. Performance agreements will become the norm for the Department for International Development’s engagement with international institutions, as global Britain uses its leadership to demand more for UK taxpayers and the world’s poorest.”

The money will fund 40m bed nets to tackle malaria, provide enough antiretroviral therapy for 1.3 million people with HIV and support the treatment of 800,000 people with tuberculosis. A proportion of the investment will be used to leverage £100m from the private sector specifically to tackle malaria.

Kate Osamor, the shadow international development secretary, said: “We welcome the government’s pledge of £1.1bn to the Global Fund, which has a remarkable record and powerful model for fighting Aids, TB and malaria across the world. However, it’s perplexing it comes at a time when we’re still waiting for the government to publish the multilateral and bilateral aid reviews, which are long overdue.”

UK pledges £1.1bn to global aid fund against Aids, TB and malaria