New York (AFP) – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria raised $14.25 billion Wednesday at a donor conference led by US President Joe Biden, as decades of progress against the diseases are set back by Covid. It was the highest amount ever pledged for a multilateral health organization — but fell short of the ambitious goal of $18 billion after the United Kingdom and Italy said their pledges would come later. The Global Fund was created in 2002, bringing together governments, multilateral agencies, civil society groups and the private sector. Funding cycles last three years. “…