Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will contribute $1.21 billion to an international effort to halt the spread of infectious but treatable diseases.
Trudeau made the announcement in New York at a pledging conference for the project, known as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Canada, a founding supporter of the Global Fund, has already pledged $4 billion since it was founded in 2002 by former banking executive Peter Sands.
The announcement includes an additional $100 million for the fund’s COVID-19 response mechanism, which aims to help developing countries mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
The government says the new sum represents a 30 per cent increase over Canada’s last contribution and is the country’s largest multilateral health investment.
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says the fund has saved 50 million lives in the last 20 years.
“We are committed to leaving no one behind,” Sajjan said in a statement.
“This is a worldwide fight, and only together we will be able to maximize the effectiveness of our collective investments.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2022.
The Canadian Press
