About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and leads the Office of Global Health Diplomacy.

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” — Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

The impact of HIV and AIDS on children is devastating. To date, an estimated 16 million children have lost one or both parents due to AIDS, 90 percent of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. And despite dramatic advances in treatment this number is not yet declining . In addition, an estimated 3.4 million children under the age of 15 are living with HIV, and millions more children are made vulnerable due to chronically ill parents or the social and economic effects of living in communities with high HIV prevalence.

These numbers clearly demonstrate how vulnerable children are to the social, emotional, economic, and environmental effects that… more »

Deborah Von Zinkernagel, Principal Deputy Coordinator for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), will hold a conversation with Dr. Shannon Hader, Vice President and Director, Center for Health Systems and Solutions at Futures Group and Chris Austin, President, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer of Washington, D.C. The discussion will explore the transformative role the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has played in the world’s commitment to create an… more »

About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. Ambassador Goosby also leads the new Office of Global Health Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State.

I was honored to be asked by Secretary Clinton to lead the new Office of Global Health Diplomacy. I am proud to serve my country in this capacity while also remaining the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. I am equally delighted that a skilled and seasoned diplomat like Ambassador Leslie Rowe has agreed to join me in establishing the new Global Health Diplomacy Office in the State Department. We have seen first-hand in countries around the world that America’s investments in global health not only improve and save lives, they build stronger families, communities and nations and contribute to economic growth. And stronger and more stable nations abroad mean a stronger and more stable America.

Increasingly, our investments are also enabling countries to build the health systems they need to provide care… more »

Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 27, 2012

On Thursday November 29, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will commemorate World AIDS Day 2012 and unveil the PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation that provides a roadmap for how the U.S. government will work to help achieve an AIDS-free generation. Secretary Clinton will be joined by Ambassador Eric P. Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. The event will take place at 10:30 am in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the Department of State.

Secretary Clinton will be joined by:

Ambassador Eric P. Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
Florence Ngobeni-Allen, Ambassador for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation MORE

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 27, 2012

In recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and World AIDS Day, Ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer announced today $3 million in small grants awarded to dozens of grassroots organizations working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) around the world, with a link to HIV prevention, treatment and care.

These grants are part of a joint initiative between the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to address the link between HIV infection and GBV, and will support the work of 35 organizations in 28 countries. These countries include: Barbados, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Indonesia, Malawi, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Grants of up to $100,000 per organization will fund innovative programs that link to HIV prevention, treatment and care platforms, including those programs that work to engage community leaders in the fight against GBV and AIDS, strengthen legal and judicial systems to ensure the full enforcement of anti-GBV laws, enhance prevention and response efforts, and work to reduce stigma and harmful practices.

One in three women worldwide will experience GBV in their lifetime, and in some countries, 70 percent of female populations are affected. Gender-based violence increases women and girls’ overall vulnerability to HIV, with country studies indicating an up to three-fold risk of HIV infection among women who experience violence. Addressing gender inequities and norms is essential to reducing the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV infection. Through this initiative, grassroots organizations will receive support to address the structural drivers of both violence and HIV, contributing to a longer-term effort to create an AIDS-free generation and societies free of violence.

For more information, please contact SGWI_PA@state.gov.

About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

Today at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, Secretary Clinton spoke of the shared responsibility of the world to defeat HIV/AIDS. At an event organized by African Union President Yayi of Benin, she highlighted growing African leadership against the disease — an encouraging development as we pursue the goal of an AIDS-free generation.

Secretary Clinton saluted African countries that are leading the way in meeting this shared responsibility. Some examples:

· Namibia now funds 50 percent of its national AIDS response, and is paying and overseeing a growing number of health workers formerly supported by the United States through our PEPFAR program. 

· Under the Partnership Framework Implementation Plan it recently signed with the United… more »

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 27, 2012

Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, will host the third meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) October 2-3.

The meeting will take place at the House of Sweden Event Center, 2900 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C. The meeting will run from 9 a.m. until approximately 5 p.m. October 2, and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. October 3. It is open to the press and to the public on a space-limited basis.

The Board serves the Global AIDS Coordinator in an advisory capacity concerning scientific, implementation, and policy issues related to the global HIV/AIDS response. These issues inform the priorities and direction of PEPFAR evaluation and research, the content of national and international strategies and their implementation, and the role of PEPFAR in the international discourse regarding appropriate and resourced responses.

Agenda topics for the meeting include: an update on PEPFAR-funded combination prevention evaluations, discussion about key populations, and recommendations to PEPFAR on issues related to linkage and retention of patients in the care and treatment cascade.

The public may attend this meeting as seating capacity allows. Admittance to the meeting will be by means of a pre-arranged clearance list. In order to be placed on the list, please register by sending your name, title, organization/affiliation, and contact information to SABRegistration@s-3.com. While the meeting is open to public attendance, the Board will determine procedures for public participation and announce those procedures at the meeting.

For further information, contact Megan Wolf at the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator at (202) 663-2440 orWolfMN@state.gov.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks at the UNAIDS Shared Responsibility Event at the United Nations in New York, New York on September 26, 2012. A text transcript can be found at http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2012/09/198221.htm.

About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

This week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, world leaders are coming together to move the world’s health and development agenda forward.

Among the key agenda items is securing a better future for children — which is also a central focus of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Meeting the needs of children, including both children living with HIV and those affected by the disease in other ways, is not peripheral to PEPFAR’s mission — it is central.

The reality is that PEPFAR is the largest contributor to the global response to the needs of vulnerable children affected by AIDS. It’s a responsibility, and an opportunity as part of our push toward an AIDS-free generation.

But what does achieving an AIDS-free… more »

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Table Bay Hotel
Cape Town, South Africa
August 8, 2012

Well, it’s always a pleasure being in Cape Town, and I remember exploring Cape Town for the first time with Erica, and it’s just wonderful seeing someone who has loved this city for so long coming back and leading our consulate. And it’s also especially touching that her husband is leading our consulate in Durban. And he was with me in Pretoria yesterday, and between the two of them, they are a dynamic duo for American diplomacy.

I also very much – yes – (applause) – you can give them both a round of applause. Thank you. I’m also very, very pleased to be joined by the Ambassador – Ambassador Gips and Liz Gips, who – Liz Berry Gips, right? – who is just a terrific partner to the Ambassador in everything he’s doing on behalf of our relationship with the country. Don and Liz and their three sons have just made a tremendous difference in connecting up people to people and in civil society and NGOs, as well as the day-to-day work between our governments.

And I’m here to say thank you. Thank you for everything you all do every single day on behalf of this really vital relationship. I just finished speaking at the Western Cape University about the importance of the relationship between the United States and South Africa, not only with respect to what we do between our two countries, but what we must do throughout the world. And you are doing an excellent job of carrying our values, promoting our interests, and deepening our relationship. MORE.