President Bush, Prime Minister Blair Launch Joint Task Force on HIV/AIDS

November 20, 2003 - President Bush announced today in London that he and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have launched a joint task for on HIV/AIDS. The two leaders met with charity workers and representatives from countries that have been ravaged by the disease.

"This is one of the key questions facing our world at the moment," said Blair at the outset of the meeting.

Also in attendance was Secretary of State Colin Powell, along with ministers from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, and Uganda, and charities and NGOs, such as the Roman Catholic charity CAFOD.

The purpose of the task force is to ensure that money allocated to fight HIV/AIDS is well spent and prioritized to the countries in greatest need. The United States and the United Kingdom are the largest and second largest donors to fight HIV/AIDS in the world, respectively.

Last revised: October 10, 2007