The U.S. Government has been providing HIV/AIDS assistance to a number of countries in Africa for nearly two decades. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has funded, and continues to support, humanitarian assistance to non-governmental organizations in the area of capacity building, materials development, social marketing, and community development in many countries. USAID uses the expertise of other federal departments — such as Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education — and a diverse network of organizations to deliver the assistance. These organizations include the Academy for Educational Development (AED), the Global Health Council, Futures Group, Family Health International (FHI) and John Hopkins University, among others.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been providing technical assistance in research, professional training, health sector development, and implementation of HIV/AIDS monitoring and surveillance systems through its subsidiaries, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HHS-supported clinical research and training programs have been especially important. HHS’s agencies coordinate research studies in the area of treatment, vaccine development, intervention protocols and service delivery innovations. These efforts have proven to be critically important “laboratories” in the global response to AIDS.

In addition to the U.S. Government's direct assistance through bilateral aid programs funded by USAID, the federal government also supports several international HIV/AIDS programs. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are supported financially with U.S. government funds to provide leadership, capacity building, and resource development support specifically in the area of global HIV/AIDS programs. During the site visits, all members of the delegations were able to ask questions about need, the characteristics of the epidemic locally, the local community based response, the role of national and regional leadership, and the commitment to mobilize government/private sector resources, religious and faith-based resources, strategic partnerships, and accountability. (continued)