UK donates nothing to global fund to fight AIDS and malaria while Congo gives millions

The UK is accused of putting the life of the AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria victims at risk after 'shameful' refusal to donate to international fund.

Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the poorest countries in the world , gave $6 million at the United Nations conference in New York - but the UK, its sixth-largest economy, promised nothing.

The chairman of the international development committee of the Commons called the decision "shameful", while an aid group warned of a blow to hopes of "ending these diseases for good".

The failure comes amid fears that billions more could be t cut overseas aid projects within weeks - with ministers already ordering a halt to 'non-essential' spending.

It was revealed as Liz Truss flew out of New York after telling the United Nations General Assembly that his government would provide "a new blueprint for our engagement with the world".

"It's shameful. We know the Global Fund works well. We know he saved millions of lives. It's good value for money," said Sarah Champion, the chair of the committee.

"The UK has promised precisely nothing while our main partners in Europe and across the Atlantic give billions. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has promised more than us."

Lis Wallace, policy director for the ONE campaign, said: "This will be a real litmus test for his government and whether he will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world.

"Failure to step up would not just be a sign that Britain is playing a lesser role on the world stage - it will have a real impact on our ability to end these diseases for good."

A spokesperson for No 10 was unable to say why the Kingdom UK had not donated - having handed over at least $1.4 billion after the last round of pledges, in 2019.

Ms Champion said the Global Fund recently reported that 50 million lives have been saved over the past 20 years through the work of its partner organisations.

The UK monitoring body this aid, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, found that it had "performed well despite the multiple challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic".

It also said the number of annual deaths had been struck since 2002 from AIDS (70%), tuberculosis (21%) and malaria (26%).

The “7th Replenishment” of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS , Tuberculosis and Malaria increased $14.25 billion - but still $3.75 billion short of its target.

ONE said it needed an increase by 30% in its latest funding round - conducted by the United States, Germany, Japan, the European Commission and Canada - to avoid putting 833,000 lives at risk.

But , even if the UK made a reduced donation of £1 billion, that number could rise to 1.7 million lives.