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President Obama: Don't Turn Your Back on Africa and the Fight Against AIDS and Tuberculosis

Source: Huffington Post

Last week brought more news about how the global fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) is losing crucial momentum after years of promise and progress. The New York Times recently published an article with the headline "At Front Lines, AIDS War Is Falling Apart." The article points to long waiting lists for life-savings anti-AIDS drugs and reports that clinics across Africa are turning people away. These people are not turned away because we lack the know-how, drugs, or technology to prevent and treat their diseases, but because political leaders are going back on promises to fully fund the fight against pandemic diseases that are killing millions and undermining social and economic stability. Over the last decade, remarkable progress has been made in this fight. Alongside the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS (PEPFAR), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has played a crucial role -- saving an estimated five million lives and forging a new way of doing business. The Fund is transparent, performance-based, driven by country needs, and engages the key players at the country and global level to generate a comprehensive response. As an independent, multilateral funding mechanism, it leverages $2.00 internationally for every $1.00 the United States invests and is delivering results in more than 140 countries.

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