Lyon (AFP)

Pressed by civil society to increase its contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, France tried Wednesday to close ranks around a fundraising goal difficult to close.

Before some 700 participants at a two-day conference convened in Lyon to take stock of the Fund's financing over the next three years, Health Minister Agnès Buzyn urged her contributors to "step up their investments" to "send a strong signal ".

"All of us, governments, businesses, researchers, NGOs, citizens today have the responsibility to step up our investments," said Buzyn, while the budget for fiscal year 2020-2022, set at $ 14 billion, may not be reached Thursday during his announcement by President Emmanuel Macron to a dozen heads of state and government.

The association Aides assured Wednesday that this floor remained distant, estimating the deficit of donations between 200 and 500 million.

"We are a little worried, even angry, because despite all the efforts of civil society, associations and NGOs for this summit to be a success, the goal of 14 billion does not seem achievable," he said. AFP Aurélien Beaucamp, President of Aides.

A group of 12 civil society organizations, including Aides, Oxfam, Solidarité Sida and Sidaction, called in a statement "an increase of the French contribution of at least 25%".

This increase, which is 270 million more than the 1.08 billion currently paid by France, is the collective according to the collective only way to reach the goal set Thursday.

At the UN General Assembly, the French president had endorsed the goal of 14 billion, but the Elysee recognized this week that any "significant increase beyond 12.2 billion dollars" - harvested three years ago at the last refinancing conference - "will be considered a success".

The same source indicates that the 14 billion could very well be raised after the assembly of Lyon.

- At the height -

During this first day, all the actors echoed the motto of the conference: "Accelerate the movement".

In opening, the executive director of the Peter Sands Global Fund highlighted the "huge progress" made in reducing the deaths of these three pandemics.

The Fund claims 32 million lives saved since its creation in 2002, and in 2018, in countries where the Global Fund invests, 18.9 million people were on antiretroviral treatment for HIV, 5.3 million were tested and treated for HIV. Tuberculosis and 131 million mosquito nets were distributed to protect families from malaria.

However, Mr Sands has confronted the participants with an alternative, which he believes is crucial, to eradicate the three pandemics by 2030.

"Are we accelerating the movement or are we backing down against adversaries as dreadful as AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria? Either we win or we lose through (your) decisions (. ..) you make this choice, "he warned.

"It is necessary that additional efforts be provided by all", also insisted in the tribune the president of Burkina Faso Marc Roch Christian Kaboré.

"For us, it is fundamental that a figure greater than 14 billion is reached.The Global Fund accounts for 65% of external funding for the fight against malaria," said on his side to AFP Abdourahmane Diallo, president of the global platform "RBM Partnership to End Malaria".

Fifteen donor countries have already announced their contribution, ensuring three quarters of the target amount.

The achievement of the final target will depend on the amounts committed by the private sector and by France, one of the founders of the Fund, but which has not increased its contribution since 2010.

"France will live up to its status as the second largest contributor", with more than 4.6 billion euros in cumulative donations since 2002, assured this week the Élysée.

Macron's announcement is scheduled for Thursday at 09:00.

© 2019 AFP