“The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) welcomes the recommendations of the distinguished Institute of Medicine (IOM) Panel on helping the world prepare for the future of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The panel is indeed correct that combating HIV/AIDS in Africa requires the joint efforts of donor nations, African countries, faith-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and others. We feel strongly that it is a shared responsibility among all donors and recipient nations to continue to make smart investments that ultimately improve and save more lives.
“We are pleased that many of the Panel’s recommendations are in line with the Obama Administration’s Five-Year Strategy for PEPFAR, released late last year. In that strategy, we made clear that the fight against AIDS will only be won if we have a sustainable, comprehensive plan to addresses HIV prevention, treatment and care. Moreover, PEPFAR is affirming the principle of country ownership through activities with partner nations and we are seeing encouraging results.
“It is important to note that the IOM Panel emphasized that a major requirement for building capacity to fight HIV/AIDS is strengthening health care systems in Africa. This principle is one of the fundamental elements of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative, and continues to be an element that PEPFAR will emphasize as part of its prevention, care and treatment activities.
“As the IOM Panel notes, the United States has been and continues to be a leader in the global efforts to address HIV/AIDS. The Obama Administration has put forth the largest request in a President’s budget for global HIV/AIDS funding. Moreover, the Administration has recently made an historic, multi-year $4 billion pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
“The U.S. strives to achieve the IOM’s call to action each and every day as we work towards a world free of AIDS. It will indeed be a shared responsibility – but a responsibility that this Administration takes seriously and will fight to uphold as we provide HIV prevention, treatment and care services to millions in need across the globe.”
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the U.S. Government initiative to help save the lives of those suffering from HIV/AIDS around the world. This historic commitment is the largest by any nation to combat a single disease internationally, and PEPFAR investments also help alleviate suffering from other diseases across the global health spectrum. PEPFAR is driven by a shared responsibility among donor and partner nations and others to make smart investments to save lives. For more information, please visit www.PEPFAR.gov, http://twitter.com/uspepfar, or www.facebook.com/PEPFAR.
 | U.S. Government interagency website managed by the Office of U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and the Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. State Department. External Link Policy | Copyright Information | Privacy | FOIA |
