The Bush Institute Global Health Newsletter

Hello,

 

Advancing global health is a win-win for American leadership and our allies abroad. It allows the United States to partner with growing economies, prevents diseases from spreading to us here at home, and strengthens national security by advancing free and healthy societies. Amid upcoming government transitions in the United States and across the globe, many policies will be up for debate, but public health should remain a nonpartisan, universal priority.

To mark World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, George W. Bush Institute Senior Fellow Dr. Deborah L. Birx and Global Policy Program Manager Hannah Johnson wrote in Devex about the path forward for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The op-ed offers concrete recommendations for U.S. policymakers to ensure the program is sustainable and efficient, including the reauthorization of PEPFAR for an additional five years. Reauthorization will allow PEPFAR to continue to be driven by granular data and country-specific goals – connecting program funding to real, positive results.

 

Sincerely,

Igor Khrestin
The Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director of Global Policy
George W. Bush Institute

Figure of the Month

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Bush Institute Insights

 

In 2016, the U.N. General Assembly 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 that are lagging behind.

The key findings of 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 with 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.