-Discussion on strengthening Korea–Global Fund partnership

-Participation in High-level Roundtable co-hosted by MOFA and the Global Fund at the National Assembly

1. On Thursday, March 6, Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Kweon Ki-hwan met with Executive Director Peter Sands of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, during his visit to Korea, to discuss ways to further develop the partnership between Korea and the Global Fund.

*The Global Fund, launched in 2002, is the world’s largest public-private partnership in global health, dedicated to eradicating the three major epidemics—AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

2. Deputy Minister Kweon commended the Global Fund for its significant achievements in eliminating the three major diseases and strengthening global health systems, expressing his satisfaction with Korea’s steadily expanding cooperation with the organization since 2004. He also announced that Korea will contribute USD 25 million to the Global Fund this year, thereby fulfilling its pledge of USD 100 million for the period 2023–2025.

*The Global Fund is credited with reducing the combined death rate from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 63% and saving over 65 million lives.

3. Executive Director Sands highly commended Korea for its continued and growing contributions to major global health organizations amid the ongoing importance of global public health cooperation, including preparedness and prevention of future pandemics, and extended his appreciation to the Korean government for faithfully fulfilling its USD 100 million pledge at the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference (2023-2025), a commitment that has significantly advanced international efforts to eradicate the three major epidemics.

4. Deputy Minister Kweon also emphasized that Korea's leading biotech and health companies are actively participating in the Global Fund's international procurement market, which contributes to expanding the Korea-Global Fund partnership and enhancing healthcare capabilities in developing countries. He encouraged both parties to intensify their efforts to further increase their participation in the global health procurement market.

*The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Global Fund have jointly hosted the ROK–Global Fund Procurement Forum annually from 2022 to 2024.

5. Executive Director Sands agreed that increased participation of Korea’s leading biotech and health companies in the health procurement market is essential to further advancing Korea–Global Fund cooperation and affirmed his intention to continue exploring ways—such as through this year’s Procurement Forum—to expand the global supply of innovative health commodities and pharmaceuticals produced in Korea.

6. On the morning of the same day, Deputy Minister Kweon also participated in the “ROK-Global Fund Roundtable,” co-hosted by the National Assembly’s Global Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Forum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Global Fund, under the theme of “Korea’s Leadership in Global Health in the Era of Complex Risks.”

7. In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Kweon explained that the Korean government is faithfully fulfilling its financial pledge to support the Global Fund’s goal of eradicating the three major epidemics, and commended the contributions of essential health commodities and pharmaceuticals supplied by Korean companies through the Global Fund in improving disease treatment and healthcare conditions in developing countries. He also emphasized that the Korean government will continue to join in the international community’s efforts toward the eradication of epidemics, and underscored that above all, the support and engagement of the National Assembly and the public are indispensable.

*Korean companies rank as the Global Fund's third-largest supplier of all health products and are its largest supplier of rapid diagnostic tests.

8. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to support Korean biotech and health companies in entering and expanding their presence in international health procurement markets, and will work closely with global health organizations, including the Global Fund, to strengthen global health systems and join in efforts to eliminate epidemics worldwide.