The World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria have inked a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance their collaboration in strengthening health systems in Global South countries. This partnership aims to facilitate more efficient, effective, and sustainable financing, particularly in the face of climate change. With over half of the global population lacking full access to essential health services, the collaboration focuses on climate and health priorities to combat diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis (TB) by fortifying health systems.

World Bank President Ajay Banga emphasized the urgent need to confront the challenge of rising temperatures affecting infectious diseases and giving rise to pandemics. The collaboration with the Global Fund is viewed as a crucial step in building a coalition to address these issues comprehensively.

The joint effort will concentrate on reducing the burden of malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB through improved health systems, ensuring better access to primary healthcare services for vulnerable populations. Climate change-related health risks are expected to force 132 million people into extreme poverty by 2030, with one-third of these impacts disproportionately affecting the poorest communities.

The World Bank and the Global Fund will advocate for increased financing for health, aiming to enhance country capacity for efficient and sustainable financing across health systems. This includes better public finance management and the use of various financing modalities, such as joint investments and blended finance.

Additionally, the collaboration will focus on strengthening the regional production and procurement of health supplies, emphasizing sustainable manufacturing in Africa and low- and middle-income countries. Ensuring access to essential health supplies is critical for preparedness and resilient health systems.

Since 2017, the two organizations have collaborated on blended finance transactions, supporting countries like India, Indonesia, Haiti, and The Gambia. These efforts have resulted in increased financing for TB care, improved detection of TB cases, better treatment coverage, and enhanced disease surveillance, contributing to stronger health systems overall.