At 9:30 a.m. EDT on Dec. 4, the Kaiser Family Foundation will host a town hall-style session with Ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, to explore the new five-year strategy for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), announced by the Obama Administration today. Ambassador Goosby will discuss the strategy, including how it fits into the larger U.S. Global Health Initiative, announced last May, and field questions from the audience. The hour-long session will be moderated by Jen Kates, Kaiser Vice President and Director of HIV Policy at the Foundation.

Those who cannot attend the town hall in person may submit questions in advance. Questions must be submitted by 5 p.m. EDT on Dec. 3. A live webcast will also be available.

PEPFAR, first proposed by the President Bush, was authorized by Congress in 2003 as a five-year, $15 billion initiative to combat the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, as well as TB and malaria, through U.S. bilateral efforts and contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It is the single largest source of support for global health by the U.S. government. In 2008, Congress reauthorized PEPFAR for an additional five years at up to $48 billion for the three diseases. This legislation also mandated a five-year strategy to expand and improve global HIV/AIDS programs. The much anticipated strategy lays out the broad goals and objectives for PEPFAR and comes as the U.S. government is in the process of developing a broader strategy for its global health portfolio and re-examining foreign aid and development programs more generally. The event is part of Kaiser’s ongoing efforts inform policy discussions about the U.S. role in global health.

WHEN:

December 4, 2009, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET


WHERE:

Barbara Jordan Conference Center (Kaiser Family Foundation Office)
1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC (one block west of Metro Center)

RSVP:

Please register online or call Tiffany Ford Fields at (202) 347-5270.

CONTACT:

For further information, please email Craig Palosky or call (202) 347-5270.