An Open Letter to President Biden: U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
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More SisterLove Joins Over 80 Organizations to Demand Action on PEPFAR Ambassador Appointment
On July 14, 2021, More SisterLove joined over 80 organizations in penning a letter to President Biden regarding the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). We are deeply concerned about the continued delays in appointing a U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, the leader of PEPFAR. This decision is causing harm to the global AIDS response and is seen as a deprioritization of the crisis by the Administration.
The Need for a Qualified Leader
The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences for HIV treatment and prevention access, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable populations. The lessons learned from PEPFAR are crucial in addressing the current crisis. Without a bold and ambitious leader at the helm of the U.S. global AIDS response, both efforts will be undermined. We urge the Administration to prioritize the fight against global AIDS and immediately appoint a qualified leader as Ambassador of the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC).
A Call to Fulfill Promises of Bold Leadership
As global partners who have worked with PEPFAR since its inception, we are calling on the Administration to fulfill its promises of bold leadership and engagement, as stated at the UN High Level meeting on HIV. We are disappointed that, after publicly committing to prioritize the fight against global AIDS during your candidacy, your attention has shifted. This is harming both the HIV and COVID-19 responses.
A Misguided Strategy
We urge the Administration not to pit global health security priorities against the global AIDS response. This is a misguided strategy that does not serve either goal. We humbly request that a bold, creative, and qualified leader be appointed as Ambassador of OGAC, with the necessary authority to succeed.
Sincerely,
Pan Africa ILGA (PAI)
Development Agenda for Girls and Women in Africa Network (DAWA)
Africa Sex Workers' Alliance (ASWA)
Access Care Treatment and Support (ACTS), Ghana
Advocacy Core Team, Zimbabwe
APCOM (Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health), Thailand
Bar Hostesses Empowerment and Support Group (BHESP), Kenya
Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), Botswana
Busia Survivors, Kenya
Coalition of Women living with HIV/AIDS (COWHLA), Malawi
Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS UGANDA), Uganda
Coast Sex Workers' Alliance (COSWA), Kenya
Community Health Rights Advocacy (CHeRA), Malawi
Dandora Community AIDS Support Association, Kenya
Empower, Cameroon
Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK)
Health Development Consultancy Services Cameroon (HEDECS), Cameroon
Highlighting Equitable Access to Rights (HEAR), Nigeria
International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC)
Ishtar MSM, Kenya
Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN), Kenya
Kenya Sex Workers' Alliance (KESWA)
Key Population Consortium of Kenya
Lean on Me Foundation, Kenya
Lesbian Intersex Trans and other Extensions (LITE), Malawi
Minority Persons Empowerment Program (MPEG), Kenya
Mozambique Treatment Access Movement (MATRAM), Mozambique
Nairobi Outreach Services Trust (NOSET), Kenya
National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA), South Africa
Network of Journalists Living with HIV (JONEHA), Malawi
Pamoja TB Group, Kenya
The People's Matrix, Lesotho
Positive Action Campaign, South Africa
Positive Women's Network, South Africa
Q-Initiative, Kenya
Ritshidze, South Africa
Responsive Action for Visible Empowerment (RAVE), Nigeria
Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), Uganda
SisterLove International South Africa
South African Network of Religious Leaders Living with HIV/AIDS (SANERELA+), South Africa
Swaziland Network of Young Positives (SNP+), Eswatini
SWOP Ambassadors, Kenya
TB Proof, South Africa
Tamba Pwani, Kenya
Tanzania AIDS Forum, Tanzania
Tanzania Network of Women Living with HIV and AIDS, Tanzania
Thriving Inclusive Community Organisation (TICO), Rwanda
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), South Africa
Uganda Key Populations Consortium (UKPC), Uganda
Uganda Network of AIDS Service Organisations (UNASO), Uganda
Umzingwane AIDS Network (UAN), Zimbabwe
Vietnam Network of People Living with HIV (VNP+), Vietnam
Voice of our Voices (VOOV), Lesotho
Wings To Transcend, Namibia
Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya (WOFAK), Kenya
Wote Youth Development Projects, Kenya
Youth Engage, Zimbabwe
Zambia Tuberculosis and Leprosy Trust (ZATULET), Zambia
Zimbabwean Community Health Intervention Research Project (ZiCHIRe-BC), Zimbabwe
African Services Committee, US
ATHENA Network, Global
AVAC, Global
CHANGE, Global
Coalition Plus International, Global
Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC), Global
Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+ Global), Global
Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+)
Health GAP, Global
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), Global
SisterLove Inc, USA
Treatment Action Group, United States
WomenNOW! Network, Global
CC: The Honorable Antony John Blinken, United States Secretary of State
Linda Etim, Senior Director for Development, Global Health, and Humanitarian Response, National Security Council
Catherine M. Russell, Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office
Ron Klain, Chief of Staff to the President of the United States
Gayle Smith, Coordinator of the Global COVID response and Health Security
Loyce Pace, Director, Office of Global Affairs, Department of Health & Human Services
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institutes of Health
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