Project HOPE Strongly Supports PEPFAR Reauthorization

Thanks to U.S. taxpayers and the efforts of former President George W. Bush, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the single largest global health effort to combat a single disease. Since its inception in 2003, PEPFAR has been instrumental in advancing global health—not only in our fight against HIV/AIDS, but also as its investments have been leveraged to address emerging threats like Ebola and COVID-19. Project HOPE—the global health and humanitarian organization—strongly supports PEPFAR’s reauthorization and a renewal of the U.S. commitment to the HIV fight.?

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Because of U.S. leadership, through PEPFAR, more than 20 million people have been able to access antiretroviral treatments, 64 million people have been tested for HIV, and 5.5 million babies have been born HIV free. As PEPFAR’s current authorizing legislation is about to expire,? it is critical that PEPFAR is reauthorized to maintain these accomplishments and to support the global drive to contain the HIV epidemic. Moreover, many especially vulnerable communities rely on PEPFAR as HIV disproportionately affects young women and certain key populations, such as men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and people who inject drugs.??

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“PEPFAR has changed the narrative on AIDS worldwide, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, in less than twenty years,” said Project HOPE President and CEO Rabih Torbay in a recent issue of Health Affairs. “The reauthorization of PEPFAR is absolutely essential to ensure that we continue to save lives and meet the global goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”?

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As many low- and middle-income countries are still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their economies, PEPFAR investments in health infrastructure, human resources, and supply chain management will benefit not only the global HIV response but also other global health priorities.?

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PEPFAR has also been extremely influential in its investments in local capacity building and ownership, as well as efforts to integrate HIV services into broader health systems.??

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“PEPFAR has played an important role as a global convener to bring all stakeholders from private, public, government, non-government, civil service, and community-led entities together to fight HIV/AIDS,” said Nagesh N. B. , Project HOPE Deputy Chief Health Officer in Managed Healthcare Executive. “Without PEPFAR, the strong leadership to lead the HIV/AIDS agenda and leverage its strong platform for other emerging diseases such as Ebola, COVID-19, Monkey Pox and other global threats will be lost.”?

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Project HOPE strongly supports the reauthorization of PEPFAR, without major changes. Twenty years ago, the U.S. changed the world for millions facing the death sentence of an HIV infection. U.S. leadership and commitment is still required. Global health depends on PEPFAR’s ability to build on the gains of the past two decades, address the ongoing challenges of the HIV epidemic, and leverage its platform for emerging global health threats.??