President Bush Outlines Future U.S. Government Efforts to Address the AIDS and Malaria Epidemics Globally

January 24, 2007 – On January 22, President George Bush addressed the U.S. Congress and the people of the United States on the State of the Union, and expressed the U.S. government’s continued commitment to fight AIDS and malaria, particularly in Africa. President Bush spoke of the successes of his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, first announced at his State of the Union address in 2003, and of the need to fund fully his more recent international initiatives, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). 

"Because you funded our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the number of people receiving life-saving drugs has grown from 50,000 to more than 800,000 in three short years," the President told Congress. "I ask you to continue funding our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS.  I ask you to provide $1.2 billion over five years so we can combat malaria in 15 African countries."

President Bush announced the PMI, an historic, $1.2 billion, five-year initiative to control malaria in Africa, in June 2005.  The PMI is a collaborative, U.S. government effort to assist national malaria-control programs in 15 countries in Africa to cut malaria-related deaths by 50 percent. In December 2006, President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush hosted a White House Summit on Malaria, and helped launch the Malaria Communities Program, a $30 million initiative to advance grassroots malaria-control projects in Africa.

In his State of the Union address, the President also pointed out the need to help people in developing countries in a way that fosters good governance and the establishment of policies that will assist people and communities in the long-term. 

"I ask that you fund the Millennium Challenge Account, so that American aid reaches the people who need it, in nations where democracy is on the rise and corruption is in retreat," the President urged Congress.

Just completing its third year, the MCA serves as a motivation for reform-minded countries to act aggressively to implement changes to their health and development policies.

For more information:

• HIV/AIDS: Leading The Worldwide Fight Against HIV/AIDS (White House)
• MALARIA: The President's Malaria Initiative Is Saving Lives (White House)
• President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: http://www.pepfar.gov
• President’s Malaria Initiative: http://www.fightingmalaria.gov
• Millennium Challenge Account: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/developingnations/millennium.html or http://www.mcc.gov

Last revised: October 10, 2007