Will the U.S. State Department waiver for emergency humanitarian aid apply to PEPFAR and allow ongoing support for millions of people with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral medications?
That question has been swirling around, with few answers amid confusing statements and news reports.
PEPFAR, or the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has been credited with saving 25 million lives over the last 20 years. It supports about 20 million people around the world who are on antiretrovirals. The State Department issued a waiver for emergency humanitarian aid on Tuesday, allowing a limited number of foreign aid programs to continue or resume operations. The waiver includes “core life-saving medicine,” which sources say they hope will include antiretrovirals, but there is still no clarity or guidance thus far. Even PEPFAR itself is unsure about the implications, multiple sources told Devex.
About the author
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is a Senior Reporter at Devex where she covers development finance, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development and authors the weekly Devex Invested newsletter bringing the latest news on the role of business and finance in addressing global challenges. A journalist with more than 10 years of experience, she has worked at several newspapers in the U.S. and lived in both Ghana and South Africa.
