President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Emphasizes the Power of Partnerships on World AIDS DayNovember 30, 2007 – The U.S. Government's theme for World AIDS Day this year is "The Power of Partnerships," to highlight the successes and future promise of partnerships in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Around the world, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief supported life-saving anti-retroviral treatment (ART) for approximately 1,445,500 men, women and children through September 30, 2007. Of that total, the Emergency Plan helped finance and deliver ART for approximately 1,358,500 men, women and children through bilateral programs in 15 focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Of the people receiving ART through direct U.S. Government support in the focus countries, nearly 86,000 are children age 14 and under, a 77 percent increase in the number of children over the previous year, and 62 percent of the individuals on ART in focus countries through direct PEPFAR support are women and girls. President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush visited Calvary United Methodist Church in Mount Airy, Maryland, on Friday to highlight the generosity of Americans in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, including the contributions of community- and faith-based organizations. President Bush commended the church's involvement and noted, "Last summer, volunteers from this church traveled to Namibia to serve at a home for AIDS orphans." He added, "One reason for the effectiveness of our efforts is the leading role of faith-based organizations." Also participating in the event was Martha Chilufya, director of the Mututa Memorial Center in Zambia, which Mrs. Bush visited in June 2007. "Today," President Bush said, "the center partners with the emergency plan and faith-based care-givers to serve more than 150 patients." The White House also announced 14 new Emergency Plan partners selected through the New Partners Initiative (NPI). The Initiative builds the capacity of indigenous organizations to provide HIV/AIDS prevention and care. These organizations are often well-placed to reach out to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, and the NPI helps ensure the quality and sustainability of HIV/AIDS programs by building community ownership within host countries. President Bush has issued a Proclamation for World AIDS Day, in which he pledged the United States will "stand united with our international partners in combating this virus." The President’s Proclamation also recognizes the essential role that faith-based and community organizations play in providing support and compassion to those who living with HIV/AIDS, part of the power of partnerships under the Emergency Plan. Earlier this year, President Bush announced his proposal to double America's initial $15 billion commitment to fight global HIV/AIDS through the Emergency Plan. The American people will have committed $48.3 billion over 10 years to fight HIV/AIDS if Congress continues to support the President's plan, including his proposal to provide $30 billion over the next five years. "All who wage the battle against AIDS have made the choice for life," President Bush stated today. "Because of their compassion and courage, millions who once saw the disease as a death sentence now look to the future with hope. This World AIDS Day is a day of importance, because it's a day we resolve to continue this work of healing and redemption. It's a day to strive for the day when the scourge of AIDS is a part of history." As part of the U.S. Government's commemoration of World AIDS Day, Ambassador Mark Dybul, M.D., the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, participated in a live, interactive web chat on "Ask the White House" to answer questions from the public on the President’s Emergency Plan. For more information:
Last revised: November 30, 2007 | 
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