OTTAWA — The executive director of UNAIDS is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to reconsider planned reductions to foreign aid and global health funding. Winnie Byanyima emphasized the importance of global solidarity during a recent G20 leaders' summit in Johannesburg. "My message to Prime Minister Carney, to Canada, and to all the other donors is, stay the course," she stated. Byanyima warned that without continued support, inequalities between countries will worsen, leading to a more dangerous world.

Last week, Carney announced Canada’s first-ever cut to funding for the Global Fund, which plays a crucial role in combating infectious diseases in impoverished nations. The new funding commitment is 17 percent lower than Canada’s contribution in 2022. The Global Fund supports initiatives against diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, providing essential resources such as mosquito nets and HIV medications.

This funding cut follows a federal budget that proposed $2.7 billion in reductions to foreign aid over the next four years. This decision comes despite Carney's earlier pledge during the spring election campaign that his government would not reduce foreign aid. The government argues that the cuts are necessary to align spending with pre-pandemic levels. During the pandemic, Canada had increased its development and humanitarian spending to address setbacks in fighting major diseases as attention shifted to COVID-19.

Byanyima was in Johannesburg to present a report on rising global inequality, commissioned by the South African government. The report highlights that economic polarization is fostering resentment and undermining political stability. It calls for governments to adopt more egalitarian policies and reform financial systems to help developing countries escape the debt trap exacerbated by high interest rates and climate-related disasters.

Byanyima pointed to examples like Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who noted that Norway has gained more economic benefits from gender equality than from oil revenues. "When we reduce inequality between countries and within countries, we actually have stronger economies," she said. She also urged Canada to support global efforts against tax evasion.

In response to questions about the funding cuts, Carney noted that Canada’s share of the Global Fund’s total funding has increased, although the overall funding has decreased. "We’ve had to take pragmatic, responsible decisions across the board in government, which also included returning our aid budget to the level pre-COVID," Carney explained. He added that the government is focused on maximizing the impact of its aid, particularly in Africa.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand supported Carney's statements, asserting that Canada’s contributions remain significant. "Africa is Canada’s largest recipient of international assistance, and our assistance will continue," she said.

Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe criticized the government’s shift away from Canada’s traditional approach to aid and human rights, expressing concern over the increasing ties between international aid and trade.

As advocates prepare to observe World AIDS Day, many emphasize that while the tools to end the HIV pandemic exist, funding to distribute necessary treatments remains inadequate. Jayati Ghosh, an Indian economist who co-presented the inequality report, urged Canada to help developing countries produce essential medicines, which are often hindered by restrictive intellectual property laws.

Ghosh highlighted the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, where developing nations struggled to secure sufficient vaccine doses and were prevented from producing their own versions. "Governments have to think, in ways beyond foreign aid, in terms of the regulations globally that they’re helping to support, that actually worsen conditions for developing countries," she said.