Washington DC, 30 June 2022 (TDI): The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was hailed at Foreign Policy Global Health Summit.
The meaningful praise came from John N. Nkengasong, the US Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. This position is under the umbrella of the US Department of State.
PEPFAR, in its 20-year-long history, has been one of the strongest commitments toward an epidemic disease in the African region.
Coordinating with SDGs, SDG target 3.3 is about ending epidemics and communicable diseases. Accordingly, Representative Nkengasong was optimistic about PEPFAR’s efforts to end HIV in Africa by 2030.
PEPFAR’s Work in the African Continent
To date, the United States government has invested approximately $100 billion towards HIV/AIDS response in Africa vis-a-vis PEPFAR.
Moreover, the investment has also bolstered the resilience and preparedness of many African countries and communities.
Such influence has more significance especially when African partners have to battle the Covid-19 pandemic simultaneously with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In some cases, PEPFAR has also helped establish fundamental health facilities as well as provided human resources for health in many African countries.
Furthermore, to cope with global health challenges, PEPFAR has designed its future prospects. Representative Nkengasong underscored the importance of Covid-19 emergency response mechanisms in Africa.
For instance, with the expansion and implementation of the African Medical Supplies Platform, the platform can contribute to HIV response and assist with the goals of PEPFAR.
In addition, drawing on his three decades of experience in infectious diseases, Nkengasong emphasized the continued need to collaborate with local partners and governments.
Such collaboration can advance the PEPFAR’s mission of ending HIV as a public health threat in Africa by 2030.
Finally, the Ambassador highlighted PEPFAR’s commitment to adaptability to various African countries and national health systems.
The initiative’s future commitments, therefore, include a complete integration into established national health systems of African countries to prevent and respond to HIV and other communicable diseases in the long run.
