The Bush Institute Global Health Newsletter

Hello,

 

It’s no secret that 26 million lives have been saved and 7.8 million babies have been born HIV free thanks to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. This is something we should all be proud of.

What is not frequently discussed is the soft power of programs like PEPFAR. They allow the United States to partner with growing economies, prevent diseases from spreading to us here at home, and strengthen national security. As a new administration takes office and transitions occur within the halls of Congress, many policies will be up for debate, my hope is that public health remains a nonpartisan, universal priority.

The path ahead for programs like PEPFAR is straightforward. Along with Bush Institute Senior Fellow Dr. Deborah L. Birx, I outlined that path in an article for Devex. It offers concrete recommendations to ensure the program is sustainable and efficient.

About 4,000 girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV every week. Let’s make sure we are giving them the same fighting chance we gave others.

 

Sincerely,

Hannah Johnson
Program Manager of Global Policy
George W. Bush Institute

Figure of the Month

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Bush Institute Insights

 

The U.N. General Assembly in 2016 endorsed three ambitious goals meant to help governments, civil society, and communities focus their efforts to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. These targets are:

1. 95% of people living with HIV should be aware of their HIV status;

2. 95% of people living with HIV should be receiving treatment; and

3. 95% of all people on treatment should have undetectable levels of the virus in their blood (known as viral load suppression).

Progress toward these goals is dramatically uneven. The Bush Institute recently published a series of reports on the status of the 95-95-95 targets across three case studies, which examine countries that have met the targets, those that are on their way, and the countries lagging behind.

The case studies highlight the importance of data-driven, community-focused approaches to achieve the 95-95-95 targets for HIV. Success stories like Botswana and Zambia demonstrate that reinforcing political will, tailoring interventions, and decentralizing resources have significantly reduced new infections and improved treatment outcomes.

Ally Updates

 

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released a new policy brief analyzing opportunities for PEPFAR to adopt a new co-financing policy. Programs like the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria use co-financing to ensure that countries can have more ownership over programs while maintaining the progress made alongside partners like PEPFAR for years to come.

Launched in 2004 under President Bush’s administration, MCC requires countries to meet specific criteria to receive assistance, linking funding to results. In the process, these requirements foster sustainability by holding countries accountable and instilling democratic values that support future investments.

Policy considerations in KFF’s brief include implementing mission-driven, income-tailored financing with clear, measurable results and consequences for non-compliance – key lessons from MCC’s success. As PEPFAR moves toward long-term sustainability, these models would emphasize national ownership and mutual accountability, guaranteeing success beyond initial funding.