GENEVA – The life of Nelson Mandela, whose exceptional courage and forbearance led to tremendous change and inspired people all over the world, is being honored everywhere following his death on 5 December. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria joins those celebrations.
Mandela’s fight against injustice, his determination to right the wrongs of his society, and his insistence on forgiveness over vengeance established him as a leader of unparalleled moral stature. He is widely recognized for his great contributions to his native country, South Africa, and also for his universal values of dignity and fairness that have served as a model for political leaders everywhere.
Mandela played a special role in the fight against AIDS. On World AIDS Day, 1 December 1998, when he was serving as President of South Africa, he spoke in a televised address to his nation. “We admire the brave who are with us here today to say: We are the human face of AIDS! We are breaking the silence!”
While other political leaders denied or ignored the spread of HIV, causing severe damage by hindering the implementation of effective treatment, Mandela spoke openly. In 2000, when South Africa hosted an International AIDS Conference in Durban, he closed the conference, calling on the world to join forces to provide HIV treatment.
Nelson Mandela showed us all that personal sacrifice in the pursuit of greater good can be a powerful weapon. He demonstrated what one man’s courage can achieve, even when facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge. He led by example. He found the best in people, and he relentlessly strived for a better future.
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The Global Fund is an international financing institution dedicated to attracting and disbursing resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. The Global Fund promotes partnerships between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities, the most effective way to help reach those in need. This innovative approach relies on country ownership and performance-based funding, meaning that people in countries implement their own programs based on their priorities and the Global Fund provides financing where verifiable results are achieved.
Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has supported more than 1,000 programs in more than 140 countries, providing AIDS treatment for 5.3 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 11 million people and 340 million insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts in dealing with the three diseases.
