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Head of US Global AIDS Program to Step Down

United States Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby is expected to step down from his position by the end of the year. As the head of the US Global AIDS program, Ambassador Goosby leads the implementation of PEPFAR – the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief – which funds HIV/AIDS programs around the world.

PEPFAR has supported HIV testing and counseling and antiretroviral treatment for millions of people. Under Goosby’s leadership, PEPFAR has created partnerships to support countries’ efforts to implement HIV prevention programs and care services and has focused efforts on reaching particularly vulnerable populations.

While PEPFAR has had unprecedented success in fighting HIV/AIDS globally, the problem remains staggering – particularly for women. Over half of all people living with HIV are women, and it is the leading cause of death for women of reproductive age worldwide.

Prevention efforts, however, have been marred by politics and the misguided influence of conservative religious ideologies on science. As reported by Jeanne Clark in the Summer 2013 issue of Ms., despite official guidance supporting comprehensive sex education, PEPFAR continues to be held hostage to abstinence programs, which are not proven to be effective in preventing HIV transmission. Research also shows that integrating HIV counseling and testing into family planning and maternal health services can improve service delivery. Yet, PEPFAR funds cannot be used to purchase family planning commodities, and providers receiving PEPFAR money can refuse to offer family planning services. Persistent condom shortages in the global south have also made women more vulnerable to HIV infection.

Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal and National Organization for Women President Terry O’Neill have urged that the next leader of PEPFAR must ensure that women’s rights are at the center of the U.S. response to HIV/AIDS. They also call on President Obama to appoint a woman in the post. “The majority of people living with AIDS in countries receiving U.S. assistance are women,” they write. “Women are critical in the fight against HIV, and must have a place at the decision-making table.”

Sources:

Center for Global Development 10/22/13; The United State's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; Ms. magazine Summer 2013; Feminist Newswire 9/5/13; Ms. magazine blog 8/30/13

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