Leaders from around the world meeting under the auspices of the Global Replenishment Conference in Montreal, Canada have reaffirmed their determination to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Towards that direction, the conference raised over $12.9 billion in pledges, an amount that is expected to help remove the diseases from among epidemical diseases by the year 2030.

The commitment of African leaders at the conference was conveyed by Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA):

She said: “Today at the Global Fund Replenishment Conference, leaders from around the world reaffirmed their commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and to end the three devastating diseases.

“African leadership and ownership are essential in the fight against malaria. The Global Fund works in close partnership with African countries as countries commit more of their own resources to the fight against malaria.

Affirming ALMA’s support for the work of the Global Fund which has in its wake led to a significant impact in the fight against malaria and saved millions of lives in Africa, she said: “We thank all partners for their generous contributions to the Global Fund and we look forward to working together to continue progress towards a malaria-free Africa.

“We equally commend Nigeria for their leadership and for taking ownership and demonstrating commitment to winning the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.