At a time when U.S. global health and development programs are being asked to direct more of their funding to local partners, one agency has already made that the business model for most of its overseas work.
In addition to being the United States’ primary public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works in roughly 60 nations around the world. CDC officials are part of country teams for major initiatives such as PEPFAR — the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — and they work in close collaboration with health ministries and nongovernmental organizations.
CDC directs about 70% of its global funding to local partners, including national governments and NGOs that help support health care delivery, said Kevin Cain, the acting director of CDC’s Center for Global Health.