Health
DFAT's support for global health initiatives complements our country and regional health programs - improving development cooperation on priority health issues and increasing the effectiveness of our health development program. Information on some of these key activities can be found below.
World Health Organization (WHO)
$75 million (2022-27 core contribution)
The WHO is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations (UN) system. It delivers technical expertise to countries in our region, assisting governments to build resilient country-level health systems and services that are responsive to people's health needs. The WHO plays a lead role in supporting countries and regions to prepare for, identify and respond to health threats, including emerging diseases. It also leads global responses to global and regional health threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the current mpox outbreak, and is the lead for the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Global Health Cluster in humanitarian emergencies.
WHO is a valued partner of Australia, and we work closely to strengthen WHO operations and health outcomes in our region. Australia (DFAT) provides the WHO with annual core voluntary contributions in a flexible and predictable manner to support delivery of its Fourteenth General Programme of Work 2025-28 and to advance Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, by:
- achieving universal health coverage
- addressing health emergencies
- promoting healthier populations.
This is complemented by regional and bilateral funding, as well as Australia’s assessed contributions, funded by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.
Australia is working closely with the WHO and partners to reform global health systems to enhance our collective capabilities to prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics and health emergencies.
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United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
$9.5 million annual core contribution (2024-2025)
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a key organisation in supporting global achievement of health, education and gender equality objectives under the Sustainable Development Goals. It is the lead organisation within the UN system responsible for ensuring progress towards universal realisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights, including improving maternal health, increasing access to family planning services, preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, ending gender-based violence (GBV) as well as addressing issues such as forced and early childhood marriage. UNFPA also provides technical guidance, training and support to its partners in the field to collect, analyse and apply population data for improved, evidence-based public policy. Australia provides UNFPA with annual core contributions in a flexible and predictable manner to support the implementation of UNFPA's Strategic Plan.
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United Nations Population Fund
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
$25 million (2023-27)
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is the primary global multilateral agency responding to HIV/AIDS. Its mandate is to provide international coordination, leadership, data, strategic guidance and advocacy to:
- mobilise global resources for the HIV/AIDS response
- support countries to implement effective national HIV responses, amend discriminatory laws and policies, increase domestic spending on HIV, and successfully apply for and implement external HIV grants.
Australia provides UNAIDS with annual core funding of AUD5 million under the DFAT-UNAIDS Strategic Partnership Framework 2022-27 to support the contribution of UNAIDS to the implementation of the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-26, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
Australia is also providing non-core funding to UNAIDS under Australia’s ‘set aside’ to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to catalyse Global Fund HIV investments in the Indo-Pacific.
UNAIDS is advancing a multisectoral and inclusive global response to end AIDS by 2030 worldwide, by uniting the efforts of 11 United Nations organisations (UNHCR, UNICEF, WPF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO, World Bank) and enabling an NGO delegation to sit on its governing body alongside Australia and other member states, to give voice to those living with and impacted by HIV.
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Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
$100 million (2023-2027)
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) supports global research and development of vaccines against diseases of epidemic and pandemic potential.
CEPI was launched at Davos in 2017 as the result of a consensus that a coordinated, international, and intergovernmental plan was needed to develop and deploy new vaccines to prevent future epidemics like the world had just witnessed with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa (2014-2016). Vaccines are recognised as one of our most powerful tools in preventing and halting epidemics and new vaccines are needed against a range of potential viral threats.
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Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)
$43.55 million (2022-26)
The world has made great gains in polio eradication. Since GPEI's inception in 1988, the incidence of wild poliovirus has decreased by more than 99 per cent and now remains endemic in only two countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan). There has though been an increase in reported vaccine derived polio (cVDPV) cases – and this has become a significant global challenge over the past five years. While a polio-free world is in sight, ongoing support is needed to achieve the end game objectives in the Global Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026. In 2022 Australia committed an additional $43.55 million to help procure vaccines, strengthen surveillance, and transition polio activities into routine immunisation systems.
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Global Polio Eradication Initiative
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
$6.0 million global core contribution (2024-25)
IPPF is the largest non-government provider of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services worldwide. It is also a leading global advocate for sexual and reproductive health rights. In 2023 IPPF delivered 222.4 million sexual and reproductive health services, reaching 71.2 million clients, and contributed to 115 policy and legal changes in support of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Australia has funded IPPF since 1974 and provided core contributions since 1992 to support IPPF deliver against its Strategic Plan. In addition to core funding, Australia provides an annual allocation to IPPF to advance SRHR in the Pacific.
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International Planned Parenthood Federation
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
$266 million (2023-2025)
Australia contributes to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an international financing partnership that supports large-scale prevention, treatment and care programs and strengthens health systems in developing countries. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in our region affects Australia's national interest both directly, through the immediate health risks to our citizens, and indirectly, through the loss of economic opportunities.
Australia pledged AUD266 million to the Global Fund for the 2023-25 period, up from AUD242 million for 2020-22. Ten per cent of Australia’s pledge (AUD26.6 million) has been ‘set aside’ to support investments in the Indo-Pacific between 2023-25.
Since 2002, the Global Fund has worked in partnership with national governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by HIV, TB and malaria to achieve:
- 65 million lives saved
- USD10.6 billion in programs to prevent TB, representing 76 per cent of all international financing for TB programs
- USD17.5 billion for the fight against malaria, representing 62 per cent of all international financing for malaria programs
- USD30 billion for HIV programs, representing 28 per cent of all international financing for HIV programs.
Activities include, but are not limited to, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV, TB and malaria, supporting human rights responses, and strengthening health systems such as laboratories, supply chains, surveillance infrastructure and pandemic preparedness capacities.
The Global Fund’s 2023-28 strategy aims to end AIDS, TB and malaria, and includes an increased focus on pandemic preparedness, resilient and sustainable systems for health, gender equality and human rights.
Related link
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Gavi the Vaccine Alliance
$300 million (2021-2025)
DFAT has a long-standing partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and has committed AUD300 million from 2021-2025 to enhance routine immunisation, and AUD215 million to the COVAX Advance Market Coordination (AMC) mechanism to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Gavi helps lower-income countries build up their routine immunisation and introduce new vaccines. Through partnerships with manufacturers, Gavi shapes global vaccine markets and pools vaccine procurement to secure low vaccine prices for eligible countries. It donates vaccines for countries’ routine immunisation programs with minimal co-financing from recipient governments, funds vaccination campaigns and supports their outbreak responses. It also provides technical assistance and grants to strengthen country health systems to enhance immunisation outcomes. Building on the COVAX experience, Gavi is now providing catalytic support to Middle Income Countries to introduce a set of new vaccines and mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on their routine immunisation programs. With the closure of COVAX on 31 December 2023, Gavi has also taken on responsibility for providing COVID-19 vaccines until the end of its 2021-2025 strategic period.
Gavi also uses innovative approaches to generating funding for development, including the International Finance Facility for Immunisation mechanism (IFFIm), which generates funds for Gavi programs through issuing bonds on capital markets. Over 2010-2030 Australia is providing $287.5 million to IFFM.
Gavi has supported 16 countries in the region with more than USD5.38 billion in vaccine, health system, and immunisation systems support since 2000. Gavi's support has led to the immunisation of more than 822 million children worldwide, including over 240 million the Indo-Pacific, and has helped avert 3.48 million deaths in our region. This includes more than 37,000 cervical cancer deaths averted as a result of the Gavi-supported roll-out of the HPV vaccine.
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The Pandemic Fund
$50 million (2022-2026)
The Pandemic Fund provides additional, long-term financing to strengthen national, regional and global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) capabilities.
Launched in 2022, the Pandemic Fund is the culmination of global efforts to ensure the world learns lessons from COVID-19. Key independent reviews of the global COVID-19 response, including the WHO-commissioned Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response and the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, identified significant financing shortfalls for pandemics and recommended establishing a new international financing facility to mobilise long-term, predictable and sustainable funding. Hosted by the World Bank and drawing on the technical expertise of the WHO, the Pandemic Fund brings together key financial and health institutions to address the risks of future pandemics to health and the global economy.
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