Tuberculosis and the Global Fund

Campaign Achievements

RESULTS Canada grassroots volunteers and staff work with a variety of civil society groups, coalitions and interact regularly with parliamentarians and other decision-makers to increase investments in and awareness about the global fight against TB and to increase Canadian commitment to the Global Fund. Their hard work have brought about the following achievements.

Secured Canadian funding and global leadership:

• Secured Canada’s global leadership and $127 million over five years for the new TB Reach Facility – a new multilateral mechanism intended to increase the reach of TB prevention, diagnostics and treatment around the world (March 2009)
• Ensured ongoing contributions to the Global Drug Facility for TB (the GDF ensures the international supply of safe and affordable TB drugs) – at one point securing a $20 million annual renewal of Canadian support!
• Worked with other NGO partners to secure increased funding for the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: in 2008 Canada announced $450 million over 3 years in Budget 2008, an increase of $75 million (or $25 million per year)

Increased awareness about TB and the vital role of the Global Fund among parliamentarians, decision-makers and the general public - some achievements include:

• Over three years, RESULTS grassroots published at least 222 TB-related publications, wrote countless letters to decision-makers and raised TB with numerous public leaders
• Led educational delegations for Members of Parliament to TB high-burden countries to give MPs first-hand knowledge and experience of the global fight against TB
• Worked with STOP TB Canada to successfully launch the world’s first “Music to Stop TB” event, in collaboration with Opera Lyra and the STOP TB Partnership, with a performance of “La Traviata” at Canada’s National Arts Centre on World TB Day in 2008. It was an innovative concept that helped to break down silos and ensure that key messages about TB were delivered to a broader public
• Co-authored and researched a 2006 ground-breaking report on World Bank TB spending (Enduring Neglect: The World Bank’s Inadequate Response to Africa’s TB Emergency) that drew attention to the fact that while more than a third of the world’s 1.7 million TB deaths occur in Africa, less than five percent of the World Bank’s lending to fight TB was being spent in African countries
• Chaired and hosted public roundtables for parliamentarians to increase awareness around TB (2007, 2008 and 2009)
• Attended, participated in and led countless meetings with decision-makers in CIDA, Foreign Affairs, Finance the Prime Ministers office and at the World Bank and IMF to increase the profile of tuberculosis within their programming and policy
• In 2009 RESULTS Canada Executive Director Chris Dendys appeared before the Finance Committee for their pre-budget consultations. The committee's final report not only mentioned RESULTS Canada by name in the Foreign Aid recommendation section, but also included our Foreign Aid recommendations to meet 0.7% targets and make an increased, sustained commitment to the Global Fund.
• In June 2010, working in close collaboration with officials from the Global Fund, and key Members of Parliament, RESULTS Canada aided in the successful passing of a motion by the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee, that calls on the Canadian government to commit to increased funding to the Global Fund at replenishment, to help provide significant assistance to developing countries.