In 2008, France devoted approximately 970 million euros to health cooperation, or 13% of its ODA (official development assistance). Accordingly, France’s commitments in the area of health quadrupled between 2000 and 2008 and nearly two-thirds of this aid is earmarked for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Distribution of French ODA in the area of health

The increase in French ODA in the area of health is due primarily to the increase in multilateral aid, which was multiplied by ten between 2000 and 2008. Since 2004, France’s multilateral contributions have exceeded contributions to bilateral aid. In 2008, nearly three-quarters of French ODA in the area of health now pass through international organization channels. This major strategic direction corresponds to the established desire to play a key role in achieving the three Millennium Development Goals (MDG) dedicated to health: MDG 4 to fight infant mortality, MDG 5 against maternal mortality and MDG 6 to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

France’s main multilateral contributions

 They are divided as follows:

• France’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: 300 million euros annually for 2008-2009 and 2010. France is the leading European contributor and the second-leading contributor in the world, after the United States, but remains the leading G8 contributor per capita. Since the creation of the Global Fund, France has contributed 1.5 billion euros;
• The contribution to the IDPF stood at 160 million euros in 2007 and 2008 and nearly 110 million in 2009. France’s contribution to the IDPF corresponds to 60% of the IDPF’s resources and makes France the leading contributor to this initiative;
• The contribution to the GAVI (enhancing vaccination programmes and introducing new vaccines for the poorest countries): France has agreed to repay the IFFIm loan for 1.2 billion euros over 20 years: this corresponds to about 40 million euros for 2008.

 France’s other significant contributions to multilateral initiatives:

• France’s contribution to the European Development Fund’s health actions: about 115 million euros annually;
• Contributions to the health programmes of the different banks: World Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank: 47 million euros;
• The contribution to the WHO including mandatory and voluntary contributions for an average of 22 million euros annually;
• Various contributions to specialized bodies of the United Nations system: UNICEF, UNPF, UNAIDS, UNIFEM, UNDP (more information at the bottom of the page) of about 10 million euros annually;
• French funds allocated to multilateral research via Europe evaluated at about 20 million euros.

The significance of France’s commitments to the Global Fund and the IDPF explains that the fight against communicable diseases (MDG 6) mobilizes 76% of French ODA in health in 2008.

France’s contributions to bilateral actions.

In particular, these take the shape of actions conducted by the French development agency for financial commitments totalling, depending on the years, between 70 and 120 million euros. These commitments are divided into practically three equal parts between grants, non-sovereign concessional loans, and sovereign concessional loans granted to States.

Health research is the other major part of France’s bilateral commitments totalling approximately 50 million euros per year, covering actions led by the IRD, ANRS, CNRS, INSERM (more information at the bottom of the page) and the Institut Pasteur.

Decentralized cooperation in this sector accounts for approximately 5-6 million euros, aid for NGOs and grants given by the Embassies and the MAEE (former priority solidarity funds): about 20 million a year. Finally, the grant to the Public Interest Group, “Ensemble pour une Solidarité Thérapeutique Hospitalière en Réseau” (ESTHER, Network for Therapeutic Solidarity in Hospitals), stands at 8 million a year.

^{Updated on 09.04.10}