JOHANNESBURG — Prime Minister Mark Carney has made Canada’s first-ever cut to funding for a major program for fighting infectious diseases in the world’s poorest countries — a move that has been sharply criticized by Canada’s development sector.

The announcement of Canada’s $1 billion contribution to the Global Fund — down more than 17 per cent from its last contribution in 2022 — came just before Carney’s arrival in South Africa for the G20 summit.

“It does not make sense,” said Justin McAuley, Canadian spokesman for the One Campaign, which advocates for global investment in programs to support Africa.

“We have game-changing drugs available now that can essentially put an end to the AIDS crisis, but stepping back at such a scale right now is quitting a marathon in the last kilometre.”

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