On the 20th anniversary of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Christian S. Pitter, MD, MPH, FHI 360’s director of global health and population, says:
“PEPFAR is one of the most ambitious and consequential public health initiatives of the past 50 years, resulting in millions of lives saved and improved health and well-being for tens of millions of people around the world, through support for HIV prevention, care and treatment services.
“It is also one of the most powerful demonstrations of effective global leadership from the U.S. government, which has worked collaboratively with the private sector, partner governments, nonprofits, civil society organizations, and communities to carry out PEPFAR.
“On the 20th anniversary of PEPFAR, we applaud the program’s transformational impact. Over the past two decades, not only has PEPFAR saved millions of lives and ensured enhanced quality of life for millions more, but it has also bolstered global health systems and successfully tested innovations and principles that we can apply to large-scale global health efforts — including preparing for and responding to pandemics — in the future.
“Now is the time to fully attain PEPFAR’s goals and achieve the United Nations’ objective of ending HIV as a global public health threat by 2030. We must finish what we started.
“The 118th U.S. Congress must make the reauthorization of PEPFAR, with dedicated HIV funding, a priority.”
