Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during an event on AIDS and malaria prevention in Ottawa on Monday, May 9, 2016.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Canada will donate $785-million over the 2017-19 period to an international fund aimed at fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
That represents a 20-per-cent increase from Canada's last pledge to the Global Fund, which was established in 2002 and raises an estimated $4 billion US every year.
Trudeau also said Canada will host the fund's fifth fundraising conference Sept. 16 in Montreal.
The last such conference was hosted by President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. in 2013.
"We are honoured to continue that important work," Trudeau said.
The Global Fund, the world's main funding body in the fight to prevent and treat HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, saves lives every day, said the prime minister, who is also promoting the fund's social media campaign, "End It For Good."
"This campaign encourages the public, and particularly young people, to raise awareness about these three diseases through social media."
Canada has a duty to lead by example on the international stage, he added.
"The commitments we've announced today will help vulnerable citizens live better lives," he said. "Lives that are longer, healthier, and free from the burden of disease."