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Fireside Chat III - Transition and Transition Preparedness: Are Countries Really Ready?
Tuesday, October 20 2026, 10:00–11:00 CEST The Global Fund is moving towards a future in which countries take greater responsibility for financing and delivering their HIV, tuberculosis and malaria responses. But as international financing is withdrawn, are countries really ready to take over and what happens when people and essential services are left behind?
“Country ownership” has become the buzzword used to frame, justify and even celebrate the withdrawal of international support. Yet true country ownership should mean more than governments taking over the bills: it must mean taking ownership of the health, rights and lives of the people these programmes are meant to serve. Under Grant Cycle 8 and GC9, the Global Fund has established transition timelines for 84 disease components in 47 countries, with Global Fund financing ending for GC8 components no later than 2030. The clock is already ticking. These timelines make it critical to look beyond whether countries can simply replace Global Fund financing. Transition is about much more than shifting costs from one budget to another. A successful transition must protect access to treatment and prevention, community-led services, human rights and the progress already achieved. It requires political commitment, sustainable financing and strong health and community systems, but also honest assessment of what is actually happening on the ground.
Are governments truly prepared, or are we confusing plans and promises with readiness? And who will ensure that key and vulnerable populations are not left behind when external funding disappears? What can or should the Global Fund do to achieve “country preparedness” and secure services in countries that are hostile towards key populations, such as gay men and other LGBTIQ Communities, people using drugs and sex workers? Is there an obligation and a role for the Global Fund after countries transitioned?
Join us for a critical advocacy discussion on what transition readiness really means, how it can be measured, and who should hold governments accountable.
The questions we need to ask:
- Ready on paper, or ready in reality? How can we assess genuine transition readiness?
- What happens when the money runs out? How do we protect treatment, prevention, diagnostic and community services?
- Who gets left behind? How can we safeguard key and vulnerable populations?
- Who holds governments accountable? What role should communities and civil society play in monitoring and challenging transition plans?
- And ultimately: can we call it a successful transition if people lose services?
Because transition should mean sustainable progress, not a quiet withdrawal of support.
When: Tuesday, October 20 2026, 10:00–11:00 CEST
Introduction:
- Tilman Rüppel, medmissio and Action against AIDS Germany
Panelists:
- Alexandrina Iovita, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Harriet Ludwig, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
- Vitaly Djuma, NGO Delegation to the Global Fund Board
Moderation:
- Sasha Gurinova, Deutsche Aidshilfe
- Johanna Fipp, Action against AIDS Germany
Language: English | No translation provided
