Global miner Anglo American, together with the Anglo American Foundation, have pledged $15-million to support the Global Fund, aimed at ending HIV/Aids, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, and building resilient systems for health and pandemic preparedness.

The pledge was delivered in New York, during the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment.

Anglo American and the Anglo American Foundation’s combined $15-million contribution will fall under the Global Fund’s Digital Health Impact Accelerator Catalytic Fund – which will promote investment in community health systems to improve the quality of community health worker programmes through digitisation, for example through the  improvement of the interoperability of health data systems.

Partners for this initiative include Zenysis and Novartis Foundation.

The health and wellbeing of employees and host communities is noted to form an integral part of Anglo American’s Sustainable Mining Plan.

Built around three major sustainability pillars of Healthy Environment, Thriving Communities and Trusted Corporate Leader, the plan is aligned with the attainment of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Thriving Communities focuses on creating better health, well-being, education, and employment outcomes for host communities, with considerable investments by the company and the Anglo American Foundation on long-term system-level change within priority focus areas, including healthy living.

“Building a more equitable healthcare system globally is in our DNA as a company – it is how we do business.

“Through our long history of supporting major public health programmes to help improve the health of our employees and host communities and running major health facilities around our operations over many decades, we recognise that good health and well-being are essential to building thriving communities and economies,” says Anglo’s Kumba Iron Ore CEO Mpumi Zikalala, who is also the chairperson of the South African National Aids Council’s Private Sector Forum.

“Our contribution to the Global Fund enables us to meaningfully contribute to shaping the agenda associated with relevant national health programmes while supporting the successful delivery of our Sustainable Mining Plan health interventions,” she adds.

Anglo has a longstanding partnership with the Global Fund, both as a member of the fund’s board and a considerable contributor to the fund’s activities, the company points out.

“We are tremendously grateful to Anglo American, together with the Anglo American Foundation, for once again committing funds to support our lifesaving work. Through its industry-leading commitment to health and well-being, Anglo American is showing how powerful partnerships can be to fight for what counts – to defeat HIV, TB and malaria and end health inequity,” enthuses Global Fund executive director Peter Sands.

“The digital solutions that the company will support through the Digital Health Accelerator can transform progress in the fight against diseases and prepare countries for future threats,” he adds.