By Ajah Jennifer

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Government of South Sudan and the Country Coordinating Mechanism celebrated the achievements of the Global Fund in South Sudan over the past 20 years.

The celebration was held at the Riverside Warehouse, a state-of-the-art storage facility for essential HIV and TB drugs, laboratory reagents, GAVI commodities, and key supplies for the Ministry of Health. 

The global fund together with partners have implemented twelve grants to battle HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and malaria, and build resilient, sustainable health systems all of which are running projects that are set to run up to December 2026.

The partners revealed that the grants have amounted to more than US$799 million, managed by UNDP. As of 2025, over US$701 million of this funding were disbursed, fueling a nationwide health transformation and pandemic preparedness in South Sudan.

The Riverside Warehouse supplies over 245 hospitals and health facilities across the country, dispatching vital HIV and TB medicines that have made lifesaving treatment accessible to all.

The warehouse also houses medical oxygen plants, installed with Global Fund support, serving Juba Teaching Hospital, Wau Regional Warehouse, and additional facilities. This support has been critical in treating respiratory illnesses and COVID-19 cases, further underlining the Global Fund’s impact on broader health emergencies.

Through these efforts, over 75,873 people have received antiretroviral therapy for HIV, 19,470 TB patients were cured out of 22,930 registered cases, achieving an 84.9% treatment success rate and 81% of pregnant women living with HIV received ART, significantly reducing mother-to-child transmission in 2024 alone. These achievements reflect a resilient and increasingly effective health system that continues to improve under challenging conditions.

In her remarks, Ms. Anita Kiki Gbeho emphasized the importance of continued donor investment, noting that the 2024–2026 Global Fund grant of US$167 million was the largest since independence. She called on partners to continue supporting integrated disease surveillance, cross-border laboratory networks, and the 2025 Cholera Response Plan, to ensure no gains were reversed.

“Thanks to the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission  programs, mothers living with HIV are now giving birth to healthy babies in South Sudan. These are not just statistics, they are stories of hope, courage, and the transformational power of global health solidarity,” said Ms. Gbeho.

Dr. Mohamed Abchir, UNDP Resident Representative for South Sudan stated that the funding had increased action and investments to save lives from ailments that had claimed many lives. Abchir commended the Government of South Sudan for creating a conducive environment for the Global Fund partnership to flourish.

“We should work hard to protect and sustain gains made, save more lives, overcome bottlenecks to service delivery and make meaningful changes in the lives of people whose lives we seek to impact,” he stated. Abchir also appealed for continuous support from development partners to ensure progress.

“Amidst disruptions in foreign development assistance, I urge all development partners to continue with their valuable assistance as we work to navigate these challenging times and save as many lives as we can,” he stated.

UNDP and the Global Fund have invested in high-grade medical waste incinerators at the Riverside Warehouse, the National Public Health Laboratory, and the Wau Regional Warehouse. These facilities serve as centralized disposal points for hazardous and pharmaceutical waste from both public and private health centers. Notably, 11 additional incinerators are currently being procured under the latest GC7 grant, bringing the national total to 14 incinerators.