WCC NEWS: WCC leaders visit Global Fund, focus on shaping an enabling environment

The moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, met with Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund; as well as part of the Global Fund leadership team including: Dianne Stewart, deputy director and head of the Donor Relations, External Relations, and Communications Department; and Francesca Davoli, associate specialist for the Donor Relations, External Relations, and Communications Division. Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund, and Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Stohm, moderator of the WCC central committee.  Photo: Gregoire de Fombelle/WCC 11 June 2026 The WCC moderator was accompanied by Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director; Gracia Violeta Ross, WCC programme executive; Marianne Ejdersten, WCC communication director; Dr Christoph Benn, founding director of the JLI Center for Global Health Diplomacy, and a team from JLI.  The Global Fund’s support for the WCC reflects a strategic investment in faith-based advocacy to sustain global HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria treatment and prevention financing amid increasing fiscal pressure. The WCC has mobilised religious leaders, youth, and communities in advocacy briefings, strong media engagement, youth-led campaigns, and impact stories that humanise Global Fund investments and frame health financing as a moral and justice issue.  The WCC is currently deepening this role by championing sustainable health financing through coordinated global, regional, and country-level advocacy—mobilising faith leaders in key policy spaces, producing theological and narrative tools, strengthening regional coordination in Africa, documenting impact, and equipping religious actors with budget advocacy skills. The WCC’s partnership with the Global Fund underscores the WCC’s unique ability to leverage moral authority and public influence to shape the enabling environment, ensuring Global Fund investments remain visible and prioritised. Photo gallery The Global Fund Photo: Gregoire de Fombelle/WCC See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland