CGD Policy Blogs

Secretary Hillary Clinton’s ’s vision of the future role of foreign assistance in US foreign policy, as outlined in her address hosted here at the CGD on January 6, is ambitious, nuanced and inspiring. Bill Easterly takes issue with Clinton’s list of priority interventions, saying that it is too long to be consistent with her stated intention to “target” and to be “selective,” but I disagree.

This is a joint post with Christina Droggitis and David Wendt.

The PEPFAR Strategy

PEPFAR marked this year’s World AIDS Day (Dec 1st) with the launch of their new five-year strategy. According to the press release, this document provides a high level policy framework (not a road map or implementation plan), outlining the general direction of PEPFAR in the next five-years. More specifically the strategy provides some insight into how PEPFAR will orient its approach to treatment, care and prevention and partnerships with country governments in the fight against AIDS. Of special note are the 5 key goals and specific targets (see page 6 of the strategy) that sets PEPFAR 2 apart from the previous phase of PEPFAR in the way that policy is being articulated.

WHO and UNAIDS have just put poor country AIDS treatment program managers on the spot. Will they choose to follow the new WHO advice to push patients to begin treatment earlier – when many are still healthy? Or will they turn their backs on the new advice and push instead for expanded access to those in need.

At the Global Fund’s 20th board meeting this month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the board made funding decisions for Round 9, and for the first ‘learning wave’ of their new National Strategy Applications (NSA). The NSA is an application channel where countries request funding to support strong existing national HIV/AIDS, TB, and/or Malaria strategies. There is a lot of interesting news coming out of the recent board meeting and the funding decisions, which the HIV/AIDS monitor will try to cover in a series of blogs over the coming weeks.