*EPF410 06/14/01
Fact Sheet: U.S. State Department on Assistance for HIV/AIDS Programs
(U.S. supports 50 percent of global anti-AIDS effort) (940)

The U. S. State Department released a fact sheet June 14 providing information on the U.S. contribution to the global battle to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. In 2001 alone, the United States will provide $466 million in bilateral assistance for disease-fighting efforts.

The fact sheet is released in advance of the June 25-27 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. Further information on that upcoming event is available at http://www.un.org/ga/aids/

Following is the State Department fact sheet:

(begin fact sheet)

United States Department of State
Fact Sheet
June 14, 2001

United States Government Support for the Fight Against HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria

Collectively, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis cause one quarter of all deaths worldwide. The United States is strongly committed to working with the international community to help people around the world who are infected by these diseases and to save lives by preventing new infections.

I. Overall U.S. Government Assistance

-- The U.S. is the largest bilateral donor of HIV/AIDS assistance, providing nearly 50 percent of all international HIV/AIDS funding.

-- Total United States bilateral international assistance for HIV/AIDS prevention in FY 2001 is nearly $466 million, largely through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Labor.

-- Since 1986, through USAID alone, the U.S. Government has dedicated over $1.6 billion for the prevention and mitigation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the developing world. In FY 2001, USAID's HIV/AIDS budget increased to $340 million, more than double since FY 1999. For example, in Uganda USAID's support was instrumental in reducing the prevalence of HIV in 15-24 year olds in urban areas by 50 percent and nationally by one-third.

-- In FY 2001, nearly 70 percent of USAID's HIV/AIDS program assistance is going to non-governmental organizations that have direct connections to the poorest of the poor and those most vulnerable to infection.

-- The U.S., through USAID, is the largest single donor to UNAIDS, providing approximately $15 million per year, or 25% of the agency's total budget.

-- In FY 2001, CDC's domestic and international HIV/AIDS programs total $848 million. For FY 2002, that budget is expected to increase to $871 million.

-- The Peace Corps has begun a multi-faceted initiative to address the myriad health, social, and economic problems related to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. The five-year initiative will train, for the first time, all volunteers serving in Africa as advocates and educators of HIV/AIDS prevention and care.

-- The U.S. collaborates with other major donors. For example, in the Ukraine, USAID and the European Union designed a joint $4 million HIV/AIDS prevention campaign, and in Brazil, USAID is offering technical assistance to improve the national HIV/AIDS program that is supported by World Bank Funds.

-- In FY 2001, funds for international assistance for tuberculosis programs nearly tripled from about $20 million to nearly $60 million. In addition, CDC provides technical assistance for TB programs in key countries around the world.

-- Funding for international malaria programs has also increased considerably, nearly doubling in FY 2001 to about $50 million through USAID. At the same time, funding for international malaria programs at CDC totals close to $13 million per year.

-- The Administration's FY 02 budget allocates $480 million in funding to fight the international HIV/AIDS epidemic, a 113 per cent increase from FY 2000. It provides $2.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health for HIV/AIDS research, an increase of $258 million. It requests $100 million for international TB and $45 million for malaria programs.

II. U.S. Government Support for Research

HIV/AIDS
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) represents the largest single public investment in HIV/AIDS research in the world. The FY 01 budget for HIV/AIDS research at NIH totaled $2.2 billion. Nearly $130 million of this amount will be spent in FY 01 specifically on international HIV/AIDS research.

The U.S. Department of Defense's Military HIV Prevention and Treatment Research program allocated $26 million in FY 01 to research for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment protocols. This includes extensive vaccine research.

The U.S. Agency for International Development spends approximately 10% of its HIV/AIDS budget on research, to identify new strategies to prevent HIV/AIDS.

Malaria and TB
At the same time, U.S. Government funding for international tuberculosis and malaria programs is also growing in response to these epidemics.

The U.S. Department of Defense, a leader in malaria vaccine research, currently budgets $8 million per year to that end. In addition, the Defense Department works closely with USAID, which contributes $4 million to the malaria vaccine effort.

The NIH budget for TB research in FY 01 is $84 million, and $69.3 million for malaria research.

III. U.S. Contribution to the Global Health Trust Fund

The initial U.S. contribution to the Global Health Trust Fund: $200 million, announced by President Bush on May 11, 2001, is a part of the broader U.S. effort to combat these diseases and is in addition to our ongoing bilateral programs. The U.S. international effort to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria totals over $850 million in FY 01 alone, and nearly $1 billion for FY 02. The fund is not yet operational. Once it is, the U.S. will look at additional contributions. The U.S. has made the first substantive contribution to the fund and urges other governments, and the private sector, to also contribute, while continuing our robust bilateral programs.

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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