# International Health Issues – United States Department of State

- Joint Statement by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Joint Statement by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Joint Statement by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra																																		Media Note																														March 29, 2024																																							Under President Biden’s leadership, the United States has coordinated global efforts to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure the international community is better prepared to respond to the next pandemic.Consistent with our longstanding commitment to global health and security, the United States has worked closely with allies and partners to help safeguard the world from biological threats, including infectious disease outbreaks. Our first responsibility is protecting the lives and livelihoods of the American people and the security of our country. We cannot do that effectively unless we are preventing, detecting, and stopping outbreaks before they reach our shores.That’s why we are working constructively with the global community to negotiate an international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The proposals the United States has advanced would help secure the health and wellbeing of the American people, as well as people around the world, while also protecting against social and economic upheaval from future pandemics as the world experienced from COVID-19.The United States’ commitment to protecting lives around the world is steadfast and unwavering. PEPFAR, one of our nation’s most profound global investments, has saved 25 million lives. During the West African outbreak of Ebola that started in 2014, the United States supported the accelerated development of critical vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics and, since that outbreak ended in 2016, we have continued to ensure that African nations have had timely access to medicines during every Ebola outbreak. We are improving global coordination, investing in countermeasures, and taking on emergent challenges like Antimicrobial Resistance.The proposals we have advanced underscore our commitment to work together, with the international community, to prevent health crises like COVID-19 from happening again.						Tags																					Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy																																COVID-19																																																					Global Health																															Office of the Spokesperson																																PEPFAR Solutions																															The Secretary of State
- U.S. Delegation to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) Meeting on a Pandemic Accord HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;U.S. Delegation to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) Meeting on a Pandemic Accord				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										U.S. Delegation to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) Meeting on a Pandemic Accord																																		Media Note																														February 16, 2024																																							On February 19, Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto, U.S. Chief Negotiator for the Pandemic Accord, will lead an interagency U.S. delegation to the World Health Organization Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) in Geneva, Switzerland for the eighth round of negotiations on an international instrument to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.&nbsp; The delegation includes representatives from the Department of State, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Treasury, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to work together to find solutions to improve global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.&nbsp; Infectious diseases do not respect national borders, and the best way to prevent the next pandemic is to improve both domestic and global capabilities.&nbsp; U.S. leadership in these negotiations will help ensure that we reduce the risk of outbreaks &#8212; the vast majority of which arise outside the United States &#8212; affecting American lives and livelihoods.&nbsp; The United States is the world’s leading global health and pandemic preparedness funder.&nbsp; Since 2021, the United States has committed nearly $48 billion to global health efforts, including nearly $16 billion globally to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, by supporting critical response interventions and providing hundreds of millions of vaccine doses to more than 100 countries, alongside therapeutics, oxygen, and other medical supplies. &nbsp;U.S. goals for these negotiations are:Enhancing countries’ capacity to prevent, prepare for, detect, and respond to pandemic emergencies and provide clear, credible, consistent information to their citizensEnsuring all countries share data and laboratory samples from emerging outbreaks quickly and transparently to facilitate response efforts, including the rapid creation of safe and effective vaccines, tests, and treatments, andSupporting more equitable access to, and delivery of, vaccines, tests, treatments, and other mitigation measures to quickly contain outbreaks, reduce illness and death, and minimize impacts on the economic and national security of people around the world.Collectively, these actions will make the United States, and the world, safer.&nbsp; The United States is committed to working with all WHO Member States to develop a new international instrument that meets these goals and will advance global health security for all people.For media inquiries, please contact GHSD_publicaffairs@state.gov.						Tags																					Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy																																COVID-19																																																					Global Health																															Office of the Spokesperson																								The Secretary of State
- Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Executive Managing Director Elouafi of CGIAR Office of the SpokespersonThe below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with CGIAR’s new Executive Managing Director, Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, yesterday in Washington, D.C. to discuss the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) and the importance of science and innovation in addressing global food security, including hunger and malnutrition. Secretary Blinken welcomed the development of a CGIAR VACS Agenda that will support agricultural productivity through the scaling of climate-resilient crop varieties and improving soil health. Secretary Blinken thanked Dr. Elouafi for CGIAR’s ongoing partnership and alignment of its global research capabilities – more than 10,000 people working in over 80 countries – with VACS.
- Economic Health Dialogue of the Americas Advances Through a Strategic Summit in Uruguay HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Economic Health Dialogue of the Americas Advances Through a Strategic Summit in Uruguay				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Economic Health Dialogue of the Americas Advances Through a Strategic Summit in Uruguay																																		Media Note																														December 7, 2023																																							On December 6, 2023, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez hosted the Economic Health Dialogue of the Americas (EHA) Strategic Summit alongside Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Minister of Health for Uruguay, Karina Rando, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with country representatives from 18 countries.Presentations were made from EHA co-lead countries of Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and the United States on the advancement of our work in four key workstreams – smart spending for health and health resource analysis; prioritization of health sector transformation; social protection in emergencies; and foundations for strengthening supply chains.&nbsp; The meeting served as an opportunity for countries to learn more about the progress of the EHA and begin strategic planning for the&nbsp;next EHA Ministerial Meeting in March 2024.The EHA comprises a series of official sector-only meetings aimed at fostering the political will and commitments necessary to strengthen public health systems and protect economies in the region.&nbsp;Launched by Secretary Blinken at the Ninth Summit of the Americas in June 2022,&nbsp;the EHA actively supports countries in the region in coordinating efforts for health system resilience, as well as in identifying and leveraging best practices in the public sector, with a focus on the intersections of health and the economy. This initiative receives joint support from the U.S. Department of State, PAHO, the IDB, and the Organization of American States.To learn more about the EHA, visit: Economic and Health Dialogue of the Americas, and read Under Secretary Fernandez’s full remarks from the summit.To stay up to date, follow Under Secretary Fernandez on Twitter/X:  @State_E, LinkedIn: @State-E, and Facebook: @StateDeptE.For press inquiries, please contact: E_Communications@state.gov.						Tags																					Brazil																								Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs																																														Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy																																																					Global Health																															Office of the Spokesperson																								Paraguay																								Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment																								Uruguay
- Video Remarks at the Global Health Security and Diplomacy Symposium HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Video Remarks at the Global Health Security and Diplomacy Symposium				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Video Remarks at the Global Health Security and Diplomacy Symposium																																		Video Remarks																														November 13, 2023																																							SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp; Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Global Health Security and Diplomacy Symposium.&nbsp; A special thanks to the Council on Foreign Relations, and to my longtime colleague and good friend, Michael Froman, for co-hosting today’s event.And to our partners from across other governments, civil society, and the private sector:&nbsp; Thanks for joining us today.All of us now know the profound risks of a global pandemic.&nbsp; COVID-19 took the lives of millions of people.&nbsp; It upended those of hundreds of millions more.&nbsp; It devasted economies.&nbsp; And all of us now know that there is only one way to enhance global health security: together.Indeed, because we worked together – through a coalition of 32 countries, the African Union, the European Union, the World Health Organization, alongside civil society and private sector partners from around the world – we were able to lead a global response that helped the world emerge from the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.The United States has long been committed to using the power of our diplomacy to strengthen global health security – to work to eradicate diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera; to contain outbreaks like the swine flu, Ebola, and Zika.And we’ve directed one of the United States’ most transformational foreign assistance initiatives: the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, created by President Bush, sustained through four administrations with bipartisan support.&nbsp; PEPFAR has helped save more than 25 million lives, and created much of the health infrastructure used to combat other outbreaks ever since, including COVID-19.Today, the State Department is focused on leading the charge to ensure the international community is ready for the next health threat when it comes.&nbsp; That’s why we worked with Congress to create the State Department’s Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy.&nbsp; Over the past several months, under the leadership of Ambassador John Nkengasong, our new bureau has been hard at work bringing the power and purpose of American diplomacy to that urgent mission.Let me tell you about just a few of the things we’ve been up to.First, we’re applying PEPFAR’s many lessons – for instance, on how to effectively track outbreaks and deliver medicines to hard-to-reach populations – across our broader health security efforts, even as we continue to prioritize its life-saving work on HIV/AIDS.We’re also expanding PEPFAR’s reach to more effectively prevent the disease and serve those living with it.&nbsp; One of the ways we’re doing this is by increasing our collaboration with regional bodies, like the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pan American Health Organization, and helping build up regional manufacturing capabilities in countries, including Senegal and South Africa.&nbsp; We’re doing this so that countries can more quickly produce and distribute treatments, tests, protective equipment, and become less reliant on – and vulnerable to – foreign supply.It’s vital that PEPFAR’s work continue, and I look forward to working with our colleagues in Congress to secure a clean, five-year reauthorization.Second, we’re rallying international support for the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund, which will help us respond to future health threats.&nbsp; Already, the fund is undertaking vital work to build up regional disease surveillance networks, create early warning systems, and expand public health workforces around the world.Since the fund’s launch a year ago, the United States has contributed $450 million – about a quarter of its total contributions to date – and we’ll continue to work with partners to mobilize additional support.Third, we’re strengthening our global health security infrastructure for the long haul by helping modernize existing institutions, like the World Health Organization.We’re working alongside other WHO members to amend the International Health Regulations, to negotiate a Pandemic Accord, and to take other steps to ensure that we can address future health threats with speed, coordination, transparency, and equity.And there’s more that we’re doing: creating regular opportunities for foreign ministers to meet and coordinate efforts, building greater health expertise throughout our own diplomatic corps here in Washington and in posts around the world, weaving together and updating partnerships to tackle emerging health threats – as we’ll do next month in Dubai, where ministers will meet to discuss issues at the intersection of health and climate at COP28 – for example, the rising risks posed by more frequent extreme weather events.Today – and in the days, weeks, and months ahead – we will look to all of you for your ideas, perspectives, and partnerships.&nbsp; Because only if we work together can we build a more healthy, safe, and secure world for all.Thanks, everybody.						Tags																					Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy																																COVID-19																																																					Global Health																																							HIV/AIDS																															Office of the Spokesperson																								The Secretary of State																								The United States President&#8217;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
- United States Joins in Commitment to Strengthen Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Office of the SpokespersonLast week at the United Nations, the United States joined with other countries in pledging to improve Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response.  Recognizing the need to do more to prepare for future health threats, the United States reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to this endeavor.Communities around the world have successfully made it out of the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the coordination of a global coalition of countries, the African Union, the European Union, the World Health Organization, and civil society and private sector partners.  The United States, bilaterally and in partnership with the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access initiative (COVAX), and others, have supported this effort by donating over 688 million safe and effective vaccines to 117 countries and economies around the world.  The U.S. joined with partners around the world to deliver vaccines, tests, treatments, and supplies and to invest in regional manufacturing capacity and local capacity to detect and stop disease.This built on our longstanding commitment to strengthen global health security – shown perhaps most powerfully through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has helped save more than 25 million lives from HIV/AIDS, and our investments in global health security capacity building and pandemic preparedness and response.  Over the past few decades, PEPFAR has helped set up health infrastructure – like surveillance systems, laboratories, supply chains and healthcare workers – that has been instrumental for combatting not only HIV/AIDS, but also Ebola, the avian flu, and COVID-19.  Further, the United States partnered with countries to launch the Global Health Security Agenda almost 10 years ago to enhance our partnerships, creating measurable, sustainable capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to epidemic and pandemic threats.The United States is committed to doing its part to prepare for, and respond to, the next health emergency in four key ways:Expanding bilateral health security partnerships with countries around the world, to collaborate on ways to improve disease detection capabilities, strengthen laboratory systems, train health workers, enhance One Health, and improve biosafety and biosecurity.Working with the private sector to support an improved medical countermeasure ecosystem, so countries around the world can more equitably secure access to vaccines, tests, treatments, and other supplies when they most need them.  The United States – alongside our partners from development finance institutions and regional and global health organizations – has announced a set of innovative financing solutions aimed at helping countries to better access these vital countermeasures during future health emergencies.Boosting multilateral efforts like the Pandemic Fund, which the United States has supported with $450 million and plans to contribute another $250 million, subject to Congressional notification.Strengthening the global health architecture by working with partners to modernize existing organizations, like the World Health Organization, and working to amend International Health Regulations and successfully negotiate the Pandemic Accord, so the world is better ready to respond to the next health security threat in a more rapid, coordinated, transparent, and equitable way.The High Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response – the first of its kind at the United Nations General Assembly – demonstrated the collective commitment to this vital issue so that we can forge a safer, more secure future.
- U.S. Support for the Minnesota Bid to Host Expo 2027 Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateOn June 21 in Paris the United States will present to the member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) our bid to bring an international expo to Minnesota ahead of the selection vote.  With a projected 14 million visits, it will serve as a gateway to the heartland of America.The U.S. bid, and theme of “Healthy People, Healthy Planet &#8211; Wellness and Wellbeing for All,” has never been more timely.  In addition to offering nations of the world an unrivaled forum to expand business, trade, and tourism opportunities, our theme will spur conversations on cutting edge innovations in healthcare, green tech, and agriculture—convening the global community around international health and protecting our planet.The state of Minnesota is the ideal choice to host, as it is home to the world’s largest health tech cluster, Medical Alley, and the nation’s top-rated hospital, Mayo Clinic.  The region boasts one of the country’s most diverse economies and ranks first per capita among the 30 largest U.S. metro areas in concentration of Fortune 500 companies.  The proposed U.S. site is “expo ready” with world-class and environmentally sustainable infrastructure, and easily accessible by nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.The United States is eager to host Expo 2027 in Minnesota to convene international partners to work together in pursuit of innovative solutions to some of our most pressing shared challenges for our people and our planet.I encourage all BIE member states to vote for the U.S. bid to host the Specialized World Expo in 2027 in Minnesota.
- Taiwan as an Observer in the World Health Assembly Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateThe World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), will hold its annual meeting May 21-30 in Geneva to discuss global public health priorities.  It is a unique opportunity for delegates and health experts from around the world to advance global health and global health security.  We strongly encourage the WHO to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer at this year’s WHA meeting so it may lend its expertise to the discussions.Inviting Taiwan as an observer would exemplify the WHO’s commitment to an inclusive, “health for all” approach to international health cooperation.  Taiwan is a highly capable, engaged, and responsible member of the global health community and has been invited to participate as an observer in previous WHA meetings.Taiwan’s distinct capabilities and approaches – including its significant public health expertise, democratic governance, and advanced technology – bring considerable value that would inform the WHA’s deliberations.  Taiwan’s isolation from WHA, the preeminent global health forum, is unjustified and undermines inclusive global public health cooperation and security, which the world demands.Taiwan is a reliable partner, a vibrant democracy, and a force for good in the world.  The United States will continue to advocate for Taiwan’s return as an observer at the WHA, and, moreover, for its meaningful and robust participation throughout the UN system and in international fora.  Our support for Taiwan’s participation in appropriate international fora is in line with our one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken Following a Tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateAtlanta, GeorgiaSECRETARY BLINKEN:  It really is a pleasure for me to be here at the Centers for Disease Control to spend some time with our colleagues with whom we have an extraordinary partnership between the CDC and the State Department.   But I’d be remiss if I didn’t start first by saying that we send our deepest condolences to the family, the friends of Amy St. Pierre, a member of the CDC community who was killed in the recent violence in Atlanta, someone who dedicated her career to working on maternal health issues and I know was a treasured member of this community.  So we’re thinking of her today as we’re here.I also want to say at the outset that it was a coincidence but nonetheless powerful to be here with the director, Rochelle Walensky.  She’s announced she’s leaving the CDC.  She has been an extraordinary leader of this enterprise.  She’s made our country healthier and safer.  She’s made countries around the world healthier and safer.  I could not be more grateful for the collaboration that we’ve had during the time she’s directed the CDC, and our institutions continue that collaboration every single day.We have CDC experts in more than 60 of our embassies around the world, really the front-line defense for the United States in terms of detecting and then dealing with the outbreak of infectious disease.  And we all know – we’ve all experienced over the last few years – just how something that starts halfway around the world can have the most profound impact imaginable right here in the United States.  So that front line of defense, that collaboration with the CDC in country after country, is making a huge difference.  It’s making a difference in spotting something as it emerges.  It’s making a big difference in helping build the capacity of partner countries to better detect, prevent, deal with the emergence of disease.That remains a vital collaboration.  But there is so much more that we’ve been doing together for many years, working together, particularly on HIV/AIDS around the world through the PEPFAR program initiated by former President Bush, where as a result of that program we have helped save well more 20 million lives.  And we’re determined to see that it’s reauthorized and to make sure that we complete the mission, because we’re very close to getting that done, eradicating HIV/AIDS around the world as a killer.We’re dealing now together with Marburg and an outbreak that we’ve seen in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, where again the CDC and the State Department are joined at the hip in working with the host governments in dealing with that outbreak and trying to make sure that it doesn’t go any further than it’s already gone.And more broadly, we are working together to try to build up genuine global health security in a sustainable way.  The thing that we’ve learned powerfully in recent years is that health security is national security.  We know that when health security breaks down, it’s almost inevitably going to have an impact on our national security.  As disease outbreaks that go uncontrolled and unmanaged, we have everything from, potentially, societal breakdowns to mass migrations, all of which have a profound impact on national security.So one of the things that we’re doing at the State Department – another reason for this visit today – is we’re standing up for the first time a Global Health Bureau in our department to make sure that we’re marshaling all our resources in effectively responding to global health challenges.  And we’re also here to learn from the experience of the CDC and to integrate into that effort to stand up this bureau some of the experiences, some of the learning, some of the ways that CDC has done things that will help shape what we’re doing at the State Department.Finally, right now the number one killer of Americans aged 18 to 49 are synthetic opioids, fentanyl – the number one killer.  Last year we seized enough fentanyl to kill every single American citizen.  So the State Department is working aggressively to build an international coalition to help more effectively deal with the fentanyl challenge because it’s by definition a global challenge, an international problem.  The precursors that go into making fentanyl often are manufactured somewhere else in the world.  They wind up coming toward us, turned into a synthetic opioid, and then they wind up on our streets and kill Americans.  So we need global collaboration, global cooperation, as part of dealing with this challenge.Here again, CDC is a critical partner, learning from them some of the best practices that they’ve put into dealing with things like fentanyl, synthetic opioids, sharing some of those best practices with our partners around the world – that’s going to make a difference in combating what is one of the worst scourges that we face as a country.So in these areas and so many more, this partnership, this collaboration, is an essential part of our national security.  It’s an essential part of our foreign policy.  And to have the opportunity to come here today to be with the leaders of the CDC, to learn from them, and to look at how we’re going to pursue this partnership going forward is a very important part of my agenda.  So I’m grateful to our colleagues here, grateful for the collaboration, and very much looking forward to the work ahead.
- Remarks at PEPFAR 20th Anniversary Event Wendy R. Sherman, Deputy Secretary of StateWashington, DCU.S. Institute of PeaceWhat a great honor to be here this morning. And I want to start where Secretary Rice and President Bush began.A little over a year ago, Madam Ambassador, I wore this blue and gold to an extraordinary NATO meeting where 30 countries spoke in solidarity in support of Ukraine. And then just a few short weeks after, in spite of all the efforts for peace and diplomacy, your country was invaded. And today, we mark that one year.What we’re really discussing here with PEPFAR is the solidarity of the American people with the world, and so it is a theme that we are carrying forward, as President Bush just said. We can do PEPFAR. We can do PMI. We can do many things in the world, and we can support Ukraine. Thank you.David, thank you for welcoming us all here today, and my thanks to the Bush Institute for organizing this event and the U.S. Institute of Peace for hosting us.PEPFAR represents an enduring, bipartisan commitment to a world where HIV/AIDS is preventable; where this awful disease need not be a death sentence; where we move from memories of the days when friends with HIV had little hope to survive – some of my dearest friends – to today, when the miracle of modern medicine allows so many to thrive.Twenty years ago, President Bush stood before Congress to launch that commitment “to turn the tide against AIDS” – to ignite a “work of mercy beyond all current international efforts” in the campaign to defeat this dangerous foe. It was a bold declaration with a unifying purpose: to deploy the full reach of American leadership, diplomacy, and compassion to save lives.So let me say thank you to President Bush for the vision to make PEPFAR a priority and a reality, and let me thank First Lady Laura Bush for bringing her powerful, clear voice to this cause and to this mission.Twenty years later, President Biden stood at the same rostrum to highlight how PEPFAR had “transform the global fight against HIV/AIDS.” He pointed to this extraordinary program as proof that “we can still do big things.”Two speeches separated by two decades. Yet what’s happened in between is anything but rhetorical. For millions across Africa, the Caribbean, and the world, the impact is nothing short of remarkable.The facts and figures tell a stunning tale: a $15 billion initial investment that’s turned into more than $100 billion and counting to combat HIV/AIDS. Over 25 million lives saved. More than 20 million people on HIV treatment. New infections reduced by 42 percent since their peak in 2004. AIDS-related deaths down by 68 percent in that same timeframe.Now, we see a world on the path to ending HIV/AIDS as a global health threat by the end of this decade – an objective we share with our partner countries, not as a false hope, not as a faint dream, but as an achievable goal.That is the power that PEPFAR has given us.But what matters most can be found not in the numbers, but the names – not in the statistics, but the stories: the lives forever altered for the better; the chapters rewritten; the futures restored thanks to the tools provided by PEPFAR to help prevent, treat, and control this disease.Look at one part of this effort, the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe – the DREAMS program – which is designed to address key factors that make adolescent girls and young women particularly vulnerable to HIV.Look at Ruth, a young mother from Kenya, who shared that DREAMS enabled her to finish her education and ultimately secure a steady job with her local government.Look at Michelle, from Zimbabwe, who completed this program and became a DREAMS Ambassador and mentor herself, supporting other young women in staying HIV-free and accessing reproductive health services.Look at the millions of young people – we’ve heard those stories this morning; thank you to you both – millions just like Ruth and Michelle who have received help and hope, and who have emerged as leaders in their own communities in the battle against HIV/AIDS.Our progress is truly mind-blowing. Yet all of us know there’s far more to do to accelerate decreases in HIV infections globally, and to reverse rates of new infections anywhere they are on the rise.This is why PEPFAR is so essential: it equips us with the architecture to adapt to the threat of HIV/AIDS and prepare and deal with public health dangers yet to come. We have seen that in the battle against the most recent pandemic, where the platforms built for PEPFAR were critical – critical – in the fight against COVID.That cause has earned this transformative initiative bipartisan support in Congress from the start, to this day. That mission will remain its promise and its purpose.With the legacy of President Bush, President Kikwete, and Secretary Rice; with the leadership of President Biden, Secretary Blinken, Ambassador Nkengasong – Dr. John, as we call him – and our State Department team; with persistence and perseverance of partners and practitioners on the front lines: PEPFAR will remain a “work of mercy.”It will continue to show us what it means to “do big things.” It will stand tall as a light of compassion, care, and collaboration worldwide – and it will keep arming us with the tools and the wherewithal to fulfill our most basic human commitment: to preserve health and to save lives.So thank you all.