On 12 January 2016, Nick Herbert MP, Co-Chair of the APPG on Global TB, led a Backbench Debate on replenishment of the Global Fund in the House of Commons.
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The debate was well-attended with interest across political parties, with the APPG briefing seven of the 11 speakers. In fact, there were so many speakers that the Chair cut the speaking time and did not allow for interventions.
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Speakers expressed support for Global Fund: commending it for the emphasis it puts on country ownership and partnerships, its transparency and accountability mechanisms, the results it has achieved so far and the UK Government’s commitment to it. Many speakers also spoke about their personal experience of visiting Global Fund-funded projects and they called on the Government to make a substantial contribution to the Fund at its fifth replenishment.
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Replying for the Government, International Development Minister Nick Hurd MP noted that the Fund is ‘a key element in the delivery’ of the UK Government’s development strategy. He said that the ‘Global Fund is a success. It works…It scores very highly in most independent assessments of transparency, accountability and… value for money’; and that it has been ‘an extremely effective catalyst for unlocking domestic resources and really important partnerships that are really the only way forward in bearing down on these diseases’.
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Mr Hurd noted the concerns raised by MPs about the UK’s cap on its contribution and the need to manage transition responsibly. He said that the UK had a role to ‘play in encouraging others to step up’ and concluded by saying that a successful replenishment is ‘personally important’ to him ‘and extremely important to the Government’.
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A video recording of the debate is available here: http://goo.gl/RpgsrC