L'Initiative – AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria

L’Initiative takes action by linking local expertise and international cooperation to create a more effective, sustainable, and equitable response to pandemics. This approach helps give rise to solutions adapted to local realities. It presently acts as a crucial lever in preparing for future transitions and for supporting countries in their transition to greater autonomy.

The goal of L’Initiative is to help eliminate the AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria pandemics by 2030, by fostering equitable access to health services that are good-quality, integrated, and people-focused.

It has four pillars of action to meet this objective:

• Supporting countries and their health systems in preparing for transitions, by strengthening the long-term capacities of national actors and promoting the development of innovative actions
• Removing barriers to health service access for key populations of vulnerable and marginalised people, by promoting human rights and gender equality
• Strengthening, securing, and perpetuating the role of community and civil society stakeholders engaged in fighting pandemics
• Supporting countries in accessing and effectively implementing Global Fund grants.

These actions are in line with the priorities of the French global health strategy and the Global Fund’s guidelines in sustainability, transition, health system strengthening, integration of community services, and mobilisation of national resources.

L’Initiative relies on three complementary methods to achieve its goals: the Expertise Channel, the Projects Channel and “L’Accélérateur”.

By linking these methods, we can mobilise various levers according to the needs of countries and actors: technical assistance, project financing, capacity-building, operational research, training, and support for civil society organisations.

L’Initiative’s action is aligned with the values and principles of the French global health strategy and the Global Fund’s strategy. It is based on:

• a rights-based approach focused on communities, gender equality, inclusion, and diversity;
• an approach based on solid data, ownership and co-construction by national actors, perpetuation of the actions, and sustainability;
• a partnership approach;
• a “One Health” approach and reduction of impact on the climate and the environment.

L’Initiative maintains a close partnership with the Global Fund. Its Secretariat participates as an observer on the steering committee and systematically formulates opinions on proposed actions. Regular exchanges between teams help ensure that the actions are complementary.

It also promotes synergies within Team France, which brings together French institutions, public operators and agencies, civil society organisations, foundations, academic and research institutions, and organisations of professionals in human, animal, and environmental health.

L’Initiative works closely with regional advisers in global health and with French diplomatic authorities. These latter help assess the appropriateness of actions, facilitate relations with partners on the ground, and mainstream the support into national priorities.

L’Initiative also works with technical and financial partners, participates in coordination forums and can develop co-financing or joint actions. These partnerships are useful for pooling resources, strengthening action coherency, and amplifying their effects.

Finally, L’Initiative helps mobilise and promote French, Francophone, and local expertise, as well as boost the participation and representation of the Francophone world within the Global Fund’s bodies and in international forums devoted to fighting the three pandemics.

Knowledge production and sharing are essential vehicles for learning from and leveraging actions in the fields of pandemic response and health system strengthening.

Monitoring and evaluation, accountability, and learning activities help improve the management and quality of actions, fuel the development of pandemic control strategies, and promote the scaling up of successful projects.

The results, observations and experiences made possible by L’Initiative’s support are reflected in evaluation and capitalisation reports, project and performance indicators, as well as in publications produced by L’Initiative, its partners, experts, and project leaders.

L’Initiative ensures the strategic dissemination of this knowledge production, with the goals of sharing, learning, partnership and accountability.

See our documentary resources

Since its creation in 2011, L’Initiative has supported 1,268 actions (projects and technical assistance missions) amounting to €453 million. In the 2023-2025 cycle alone, €193 million was committed to 310 actions.

Since the start of consolidated data collection in 2022, all indicators have progressed and the number of beneficiaries has tripled.

And L’Initiative affects not just the direct beneficiaries, but acts on the systems themselves. Its action helps to strengthen national capacities; improve care models; and change public policies, professional practices, and legislative and health frameworks.