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Inside this Edition:
Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator: President Bush Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Fight HIV/AIDS Globally: PEPFAR funding Increased to $30 billion over the next five years [more]
Rwanda: 2007 HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting: Implementers’ Share Best Practices, Lessons Learned [more]
Tanzania: Two New Prevention Initiatives Launched in Tanzania [more]
Implementers’ Meeting Webcast:
July Sneak Peek:
Africa: Coverage from First Lady Laura Bush’s trip to Senegal, Mozambique, Zambia and Mali. Ambassador Mark Dybul joined Mrs. Bush in Zambia at the installation of the PlayPlump Alliance’s first PlayPump.
Côte d’Ivoire: Ivoirian soccer star named Ambassador for Sports for Life to help in fight against HIV/AIDS. |
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New Issue Briefs Available |
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Visit PEPFAR.gov to read and download the Pediatric Treatment and Care and the Building Laboratory Capacity issue briefs. | | |
President Bush Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Fight HIV/AIDS Globally: PEPFAR funding Increased to $30 billion over the next five years
On May 30, 2007, President George W. Bush announced his intention to work with Congress to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR). The five-year, $30 billion proposal would increase the United States’ initial $15 billion commitment made in 2003. Assuming Congress meets the President’s request for Fiscal Year 2008, and with the new $30 billion proposal, the American people will have committed $48.3 billion across 10 years to fight HIV/AIDS.
During the announcement in the White House Rose Garden, President Bush also announced the Emergency Plan’s latest treatment results, illustrating the immense progress PEPFAR has made toward achieving its treatment goal of 2 million in just three years. “This investment has yielded the best possible return: saved lives. To date, the emergency plan has supported treatment for 1.1 million people infected with HIV,” President Bush said.
Joining President Bush for the announcement were Ambassador Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; Rajat Gupta, Chairman of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Secretary Mike Leavitt, Director of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Ambassador John Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State.
Four recipients of PEPFAR services were also present in the Rose Garden for the announcement: Bishop Paul, Director of the Hope Center; Dr. Bill Pape, an expert infectious disease doctor in Haiti; Kunene Tantoh, an HIV-positive mother who helps coordinates the Mothers2Mothers to Be program in Cape Town, South Africa; and four-year-old, Baron Tantoh, Kunene’s son, who is HIV negative. |
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“This is really a story of the human spirit and the goodness of human hearts. Once again, the generosity of the American people is one of the great untold stories of our time. Our citizens are offering comfort to millions who suffer, and restoring hope to those who feel forsaken,” President Bush said in reference to the success of PEPFAR.
PEPFAR’s success is rooted in support for country-owned strategies and programs with commitment of resources and dedication to results, achieved through the power of partnerships with governments, non-governmental, faith- and community- based organizations, and the private sector.
The next phase of the American people’s commitment to those suffering from HIV/AIDS will continue to expand life-saving treatment, comprehensive prevention programs and care for those in need, including orphans and vulnerable children, to support: treatment for 2.5 million people, prevention of more than 12 million new infections, and care for more than 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children. |
2007 HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting: Implementers’ Share Best Practices, Lessons Learned
The 2007 HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting, held in Kigali, Rwanda from June 16-19, 2007, drew more than 1,500 delegates from around the world.
The conference was hosted by the Government of Rwanda and was co-sponsored by President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, the Secretariat of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization.
The Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS served as the official Advisory Group, helping to ensure representation of people living with HIV/AIDS as expert implementers.
The theme of this year’s meeting, “Scaling Up Through Partnerships,” recognized the rapid expansion of HIV/AIDS programs worldwide. Together, implementers exchanged lessons learned on building the capacity of local prevention, treatment, and care programs, maintaining quality control, and coordinating efforts.
The vast majority of conference delegates traveled from developing countries in Africa and other regions. In addition to government ministers, participants included a wide cross-section of HIV program implementers, including representatives from faith- and community-based groups and groups of people living with HIV/AIDS.
This forum facilitated an open dialogue about future directions of HIV/AIDS programs, with a strong emphasis on implementation and identification of critical barriers and best practices. |
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In his opening remarks, H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, underscored the importance of international solidarity in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “We now have global consensus that the struggle against this disease can only bear effective results if tackled within the border framework of sustainable development,” Kagame emphasized.
During the conference, participants shared ‘how to’ details on program implementation that will allow implementers to continue to improve programs and creatively solve problems for even greater impact.
Meeting Chair, Dr. Innocent Nyaruhirira, Minister of State in charge of HIV/AIDS and other epidemics in the Rwanda Ministry of Health, emphasized: “We in Rwanda strongly believe that united we can build a world released from poverty-related diseases, among which are HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis, particularly among the newborns, and the youth. We have no choice but to keep the promises and … now. This can be achieved through the kind of partnerships we are experiencing here in Kigali.”
The conference followed two historic announcements in the fight against HIV/AIDS. On May 30, President George W. Bush proposed a doubling of the initial $15 billion commitment of PEPFAR, asking the U.S. Congress to provide an additional $30 billion in funding for five more years. The following week, challenged by President Bush’s proposal, the G-8 leaders committed $60 billion dollars to the fight against HIV/AIDS. This included a commitment to support country-owned, national programs to meet specific, numerical goals: treatment for 5 million, prevention of 24 million new infections, and care for 24 million people living with HIV and orphans and vulnerable children.
Meeting co-chair Ambassador Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, noted: “While there has been much success, much remains to be done -- and now we have breathtaking new commitments to help get it done. Let us rededicate ourselves to transforming the world through the promise of partnerships. There is no higher calling or nobler goal.”
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Just Announced:
The 2008 HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting will be held in Kampala, Uganda |
Two New Prevention Initiatives Launched in Tanzania
Two new programs offer Tanzanians at risk for HIV useful tools and information to assist with changing their behavior, protecting themselves and their families against HIV, and learning their HIV status.
Supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR), SafeTStop and Vaa Kondom were launched on May 22, 2007 at the Mpakani/Mwaka grounds in Tunduma, Tanzania.
SafeTStop and Vaa Kondom encourage Tanzanians to take responsibility for preventing new HIV infections. SafeTStop offers a package of HIV/AIDS services and community programs. It is being implemented in nine countries along major transportation routes in East and Central Africa. Vaa Kondom is a national behavior change communication initiative, designed to promote correct and consistent condom use among Tanzanians most vulnerable to HIV.
Dr. Luke Siyame, Deputy Minister for Disaster Management and HIV Campaign in the Prime Minister of Tanzania’s Office, presided over the launch. USAID Tanzania Director Pam White also attended the launch. Both delivered remarks.
“These initiatives are contributing to the multi-sectoral response to AIDS, including addressing the needs of difficult-to-reach groups across Tanzania,” Siyame said. “We are grateful for the assistance of the American people through USAID and PEPFAR.” |
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SafeTStop is part of the Regional Outreach Addressing AIDS through Development Strategies (ROADS) Project. Initially, SafeTStop will be implemented in Tunduman and Makambako, Tanzania. These sites were selected because of the high-risk for HIV infection in each location.
SafeTStop programs support targeted community mobilization and education, as well as improved HIV/AIDS services including counseling, care, and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The program also addresses root causes of HIV transmission in the community such as alcohol abuse, gender-based violence, and economic vulnerability, especially of women and orphans and vulnerable children.
Vaa Kondom uses Tanzanian proverbs to encourage people to talk about safe sex, the importance of safe sex, and how to have safe sex. Audiences are reached with prevention messages through peer education, radio spots, and small venue entertainment. The program is being implemented by the Tanzanian Marketing and Communications (T-MARC) Company.
Both initiatives support the work of the Tanzania Comission for AIDS (TACAIDS) and the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s National AIDS Control Program (NACP). |
Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
2100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20522 |
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