Harm reduction messages for the 49th Global Fund board meeting

Harm Reduction International (HRI), the South African Network of People who use drugs (SANPUD), VOCAL Kenya, Rumah Cemara and the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) shared key harm reduction messages for the 49th Global Fund Board Meeting (10-11 May 2023, Hanoi).

Investment in harm reduction from international donors and governments in low and middle-income (LMI) countries was just 5% of the US$2.7 billion UNAIDS estimates is required annually by 2025 for an effective HIV response among people who inject drugs. Global Fund Grant Cycle 7 represents a crucial moment for harm reduction programming and for community-led programming. However, as Window 1 and 2 countries progress to funding request submission, we are witnessing the serious obstacles that remain to ensuring harm reduction receives due prioritisation within funding requests.

We call on the Global Fund Board to utilise all evidence, tools and strategies available to ensure that HIV prevention for people who use drugs and wider key populations, including community-led responses, are central to Grant Cycle 7 HIV programming, in line with the Global Fund Strategy 2023-2025, the Global AIDS Strategy and Global Health Sector Strategies.

We call on Board Delegations to factor in the following priorities:

1. Grant Cycle 7 must uphold the Global Fund Strategy 2023-2025 commitment to communities and community-led programming, in keeping with the UNAIDS 30-80-60 targets
2. The Global Fund must do more to protect harm reduction as a ‘Program Essential’ in Grant Cycle 7
3. The reduction in catalytic investments threatens the delivery of the Global Fund Strategy on maximising health equity, gender equality and human rights
4. Grant Cycle 7 must fund efforts to increase domestic investment in harm reduction, and broader key population programming
5. Funding for harm reduction in crisis must be protected and prioritised