December 02, 2010
Volume One, Issue Four
From Concept to Impact: USAID Convenes Landmark Gathering on HIV Prevention
On Monday, November 29th USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah hosted a meeting in Washington focused on the field of microbicides and the strategic preparation for product introduction in HIV prevention. The meeting follows ground-breaking results released this year for vaginally and orally administered HIV prevention methods. High-level officials including Congresswoman Nita Lowey and White House Official Zeke Emanuel were in attendance as well as other noteable figures from the health and development community.
In July, the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), supported by USAID and the government of South Africa, provided the first-ever proof that the vaginal microbicide, 1% tenofovir gel, reduced HIV infection in women by 39%. And in late November, results were announced that a daily oral dose of the combination ARV, Truvada, reduced HIV transmission in men who have sex with men by 44%. High-level officials including Congresswoman Nita Lowey, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby, and White House Special Advisor for Health Policy Zeke Emanuel gave remarks at the meeting that focused on providing safe and effective HIV prevention products to the most vulnerable populations as quickly as possible.
Through his World AIDS Day message, Administrator Shah said that "while we made great progress this year, we cannot rest on these accomplishments. We have a shared responsibility to build on the successes achieved to date by making smart investments that will ultimately save more lives in the future."
What are People Saying about Microbicides?
USAID interviewed high-level officials about this groundbreaking, innnovative research.
Watch the video here
Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim, M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D. is the director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine
Bits from the Blog
16 Days Campaign to End Violence Against Women
From 25 November to 10 December, USAID will post a blog each day that aims to prove a single point: The human race cannot progress when half of the world population lives without the same rights and respect afforded to its male counterpart. If you are moved by what you read and want to share, we've made it easy for you.
Visit The 16 Days Campaign to learn more.
Want More Information? Follow the Impact Blog
In addition to our weekly newsletter, USAID has an active blog that covers USAID's programs across the world.
Click here to visit Impact Blog.
From the Field
USAID Surpasses Private Sector Credit Milestone
USAID recently surpassed a $2 billion milestone of private sector credit mobilized in developing countries. USAID uses partial loan guarantees to encourage local banks to invest locally in sectors ranging from health to clean energy to infrastructure.
The two billionth dollar was made available from a new partnership with two banks in Haiti for small and medium businesses. Since Haiti's devastating earthquake, established businesses lost most, if not all, of their property and equipment. Without these assets, small and medium enterprises no longer have the collateral needed to obtain loans to rebuild their businesses. The Development Credit Authority guarantee will substitute as collateral for borrowers, enabling two local banks to lend up to $20 million of their funds to help businesses rebuild.
Learn about the milestone.
A Word from Our Partners
Microsoft's "Imagine Cup" Inspires Youth to Solve the World's Toughest Problems
USAID has announced its participation in Microsoft's "Imagine Cup Solve This" program which will provide inspiration for students looking to help solve the world's toughest problems as part of the annual Imagine Cup competition. Imagine Cup is a global competition of more than 325,000 students from 100 countries who define the problems they solve through research, personal passion for social causes and inspiration from the UN Millennium Development Goals. The finals will be held July 8-13, 2011 in New York City.
Learn more about Imagine Cup
Learning How Diaspora Communities Play a Role in International Development
We recognize the importance of diaspora communities in discussions of foreign assistance and international development policy. The Migration Policy Institute, USAID and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation examined how diasporas play a role in development efforts in their countries of origin in a new book called "Diasporas: New Partners in Global Development Policy". On November 30th, Karen D. Turner, Director of the Office of Development Partners spoke about the findings, and was joined by Thomas Debass from the State Department, and Pradeep Ramamurthy from the National Security Council.
Find out more about the new Diaspora Study
DC Details
Commemorating 2010 Worlds AIDS Day
On World AIDS Day, USAID renewed its promise to remain strongly committed to making smart investments that will ultimately save and improve the lives of millions all around the world. As a key partner in the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), USAID joins in the shared responsibility in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Read here to learn key facts on the U.S. global HIV/AIDS response, which is led by PEPFAR, and our comprehensive and balanced approach to combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Learn about our work with HIV/AIDS
Integrating Climate Change and Development
Ahead of Climate Change Week at USAID (December 6-10) and on the margins of the U.N. climate change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico (COP-16) this month, we will be promoting our ongoing efforts to help partner countries mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions and help them adapt to climate change impacts
Learn about our work with Climate Change which includes descriptions and links to live video from USAID-led side events at the U.S. Center at COP-16.
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