In a bid to further promote country ownership, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and its 21 partner governments have agreed on “mutual commitments” over the next five years to help bolster the global fight against AIDS and HIV, the U.S. government’s top AIDS envoy said on Thursday (March 31).
Through the PEPFAR Partnership Frameworks, nations receving AIDS support from the U.S. are encouraged to assume increased leadership in combating the fatal disease, according to U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby.
“One thing we’ve tried to do with these Frameworks is to secure commitments to ensure participation of the full range of civil society partners needed for countries to respond effectively – including faith-based partners. In many countries, faith-based organizations play a critical role as part of national health systems, and it is vital for that role to be acknowledged and strengthened,” he told the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.
South Africa, one of the countries that agreed to the framework, is poised to “approach full financial responsibility” for its anti-AIDS program by 2016, Goosby said.
The U.S. government has also signed PEPFAR Partnership Frameworks with Angola and Vietnam, and regional frameworks with the Caribbean and Central America, Goosby said.
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