Global Health

U.S. Global Health Initiative Targets

The U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI), launched by President Barack Obama in 2009, helps developing countries improve the health of their own people. It saves lives today, and builds health systems so improvements in health can continue for generations.

“We will not be successful in our efforts to end deaths from AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis unless we do more to improve health systems around the world, focus our efforts on child and maternal health, and ensure that best practices drive the funding for these programs.”

— President Barack Obama, May 5, 2009

GHI works to save the lives of mothers, children and families through programs that address the following.

HIV/AIDS: Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), support the prevention of more than 12 million new HIV infections; provide direct support for more than 4 million people on treatment; and provide direct support for care for more than 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children.
Malaria: Through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), halve the burden of malaria for 450 million people, representing 70 percent of the at-risk population in Africa. Malaria efforts will expand into Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tuberculosis (TB): Contribute to the treatment of a minimum of 2.6 million new sputum smear positive TB cases and 57,200 multi-drug resistant (MDR) cases of TB by 2014, and contribute to a 50 percent reduction in TB deaths and disease burden relative to the 1990 baseline.
Maternal Health: Reduce maternal mortality by 30 percent across assisted countries.
Child Health: Reduce under 5 mortality rates by 35 percent across assisted countries.
Nutrition: Reduce child undernutrition by 30 percent across assisted food insecure countries, in conjunction with the President’s Feed the Future Initiative.
Family Planning and Reproductive Health: Prevent 54 million unintended pregnancies. This will be accomplished by reaching a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 35 percent across assisted countries, reflecting an average 2 percentage point annual increase by 2014; and reducing from 24 to 20 percent the proportion of women aged 18-24 who have their first birth before age 18.
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs): Reduce the prevalence of 7 NTDs by 50 percent among 70 percent of the affected population, contributing to: the elimination of onchocerciasis in Latin America by 2016; the elimination of lymphatic filariasis globally by 2020; the elimination of blinding trachoma by 2020; and the elimination of leprosy.