The Promise of Partnerships: World AIDS Day 2006

December 1, 2006

By Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne

World AIDS Day is an opportunity to remember the more than 25 million people who have died from AIDS and support the over 38 million people who are currently living with HIV.  It is also a time to recommit ourselves to compassionate action and the promise of partnerships that are creating new hope.

In 2003, President Bush led the world into action when he announced the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – a five-year, $15 billion approach to combating HIV/AIDS globally.  The U.S. committed approximately $2.4 billion to the Emergency Plan in fiscal year 2004, $2.8 billion in FY05, $3.2 billion in FY06, and the President has requested more than $4 billion for FY07.  PEPFAR is the largest commitment ever by a single nation toward an international health initiative.

The heart of the President’s Plan is to work shoulder to shoulder with partners in host nations in support of the national strategy in each country. Local people are leading the fight in their own nations, supported by the American people. People living with HIV have also been instrumental in planning, delivering, and monitoring the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programs. 

It is estimated that, in Argentina, there are 32,000 people under medical treatment for HIV/AIDS, including many children. Another 130,000 people are carrying the virus, but over half of these are not even aware they have it. To combat this difficult disease, the government has developed a National Plan and has just announced an increase of 50% in funding. Results are being achieved by the work of dedicated people working in labs, hospitals and NGOs throughout the country.

I believe that, working together, we can turn the tide against HIV/AIDS. America's partnership with more than 120 countries around the world, for instance, is having dramatic, life-saving results. The statistics tell the story. 
Only 50,000 people were receiving treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa when President Bush announced PEPFAR. The Plan has now supported antiretroviral treatment for 561,000 men, women, and children through bilateral programs in 15 focus countries, as of March 31, 2006.

Through March 31, 2006, the Emergency Plan supported prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services for women during over 4.5 million pregnancies.  In addition, it supported antiretroviral prophylaxis for women during 342,200 pregnancies, which averted an estimated 65,100 infant HIV infections.

Also through March of this year, 13.6 million people have received HIV counseling and testing since the inception of the Plan. Sixty-one percent of those receiving treatment were women.  The U.S. is the only international donor to track program results by gender, ensuring both men and women receive equal benefits. 

The American people are committed to standing with the global community as partners until this difficult fight is won.