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December 2003 On Monday, December 8, the National Organizations Responding to AIDS (NORA) coalition, for which AIDS Action serves as the convener, held its monthly meeting. The primary focus for this month’s meeting was an update on the global AIDS-related activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the new Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator at the Department of State. Gabrielle Bushman of USAID was this month’s featured speaker. Ms. Bushman provided coalition members with a through overview of the progress that has been made to date on the implementation of PEPFAR – the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (which was authorized by the global AIDS bill – H.R. 1298). She shared that USAID and the Department of State have planned for two implementation tracks. The first track has two steps: 1) the announcement and awarding of grants in four key areas and 2) the development of initial, 12-month operational plans. The first set of grants for implementation of PEPFAR will be made in four areas: 1) Support to orphans and vulnerable children affected with HIV; 2) HIV/AIDS prevention through abstinence and behavior change for youth; 3) rapid expansion of antiretroviral therapy programs for HIV-infected persons; and 4) rapid strengthening of blood transfusion services in selected countries. The first two will be managed by USAID, the others by the department of Health and Human Services. In addition, the federal government will be working with the governments of all fourteen countries that have been identified to receive PEPFAR funding to develop a 12-month operational plan for beginning implementation of these programs. The second track involves development of a five-year implementation plan. Again, this will be done on a country-by-country basis and coordinated by the office of the Global AIDS Coordinator. In addition, Ms. Bushman shared information regarding the structure of the new office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Randall Tobias. She told coalition members that, ultimately, the office will have a staff of roughly 60 people and will be led by Ambassador Tobias and the two deputy coordinators – Dr. Joe O’Neill and Ambassador John Lange. For more information about USAID’s global AIDS programs visit: http://www.usaid.gov/pop_health/aids/index.html. For more information about the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator visit http://www.state.gov/s/gac/. After Ms. Bushman’s presentation, coalition members heard an update on the status of the fiscal year 2005 appropriations process from Donna Crews of AIDS Action (for more news on the appropriations process, please see article 1 in this section). The coalition also held an election to fill vacant seats on NORA’s Executive Committee. Donna Crews of AIDS Action, Pat Hawkins of the Whitman Walker Clinic, Jim Harvey of the HIV Community Coalition, and Marcela Howell of Advocates for Youth were elected to the 2004 Executive Committee. |
