Feature story

US Secretary of State John Kerry unveils new model for PEPFAR engagement

27 September 2013

L to R: Ambassador Eric Goosby, US Global AIDS Coordinator; President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame; US Secretary of State, John Kerry; President of Namibia, Hifikepunye Pohamba; and South African Ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool. Credit: PEPFAR

The Secretary of State John Kerry unveiled a United States (US) plan to enter into Country Health Partnerships—a new model of collaborative work—with Namibia, Rwanda and South Africa. The announcement was made by Secretary Kerry during a high-level meeting he hosted on the margins of the 68th United Nations General Assembly.

The new initiative is intended to strengthen collaboration with selected country partner governments leading to greater and mutual accountability and long-term sustainability.

“The Country Health Partnerships are about shared responsibility, shared accountability, budget transparency, and a commitment to investing strategically based on what we’ve learned from improved data collection and analysis,” said Secretary Kerry. “South Africa, Rwanda, and Namibia are all on the front lines of these efforts.”

The meeting featured the participation of the President of Namibia, the President of Rwanda, the South African Ambassador to the United States and global health leaders including UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé.

“To convene this meeting with key African heads of state and partners during the UN General Assembly sends a strong signal of the continued leadership and support of the US Government for the global AIDS response,” said Mr Sidibé. He also highlighted the continued commitment of UNAIDS to provide the strategic information and support for investment approaches that would help to ensure the success of the new partnerships.

During the roundtable, the Secretary of State also announced that the US will host the next Global Fund Replenishment Meeting in Washington, DC in December 2013.  Secretary Kerry highlighted the strong commitment from other donors to support the successful replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Earlier this year, Germany, the Nordic Countries, France and the United Kingdom have already announced important contributions to the Global Fund for the 2014 – 2016 period to support countries in their response to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.