New U.N. Website: The new site focuses on the upcoming High Level Meeting on AIDS in New York, June 8-10, according to an update on the UNAIDS Facebook page. It includes program information, background materials and other details relevant to the meeting (5/18).

Cultivating The WHO’s Strengths: This CSIS Global Health Policy Center report argues that the WHO has value to U.S. global health policy and U.S. national interests, “provided that WHO narrows its focus strategically to those activities for which it is best suited and for which it has the greatest prospects of delivering substantial value,” according to a post on the Commission on Smart Global Health Policy’s blog (5/17).

Fauci On 30 Years Of AIDS: Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, is interviewed by John Donnelly about his 30 years of work on HIV/AIDS on the Center for Global Health Policy Center’s “Science Speaks” blog. Fauci discusses his early involvement in AIDS research and describes some of his most surprising interactions with presidents over the years (5/17).

Aspirations For The Congressional Foreign Aid Caucus: “My three wishes for the [Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance]: be active; make the presidential policy directive on U.S. global development reality; and look beyond aid,” Sarah Jane Staats of the Center for Global Development writes on CGD’s “Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog,” where she expands on those hopes (5/17).

Country Ownership Important To Improve Health: At the World Health Assembly, amid “all of the pontification and passing of resolutions that take place … Support from the WHO, other U.N. agencies and the donor community is helpful but not indispensable. Country ownership and, more importantly, country commitment is,” David Olson of Global Health Council, writes on the council’s “Blog 4 Global Health,” in a post about maternal, newborn and child health (5/15).

GHI Funding: A Center for Global Health Policy “Science Speaks” blog post by Meredith Mazzotta examines whether funding for President Barack Obama’s Global Health Initiative will ever reach the proposed $63 billion over six years. Mazzotta interviewed Kaiser Family Foundation Vice President and Director of Global Health and HIV Policy Jennifer Kates, who said, “We don’t know what’s going to happen in the next three years, but I think even an optimistic budget scenario would not bring funding to $63 billion” (5/13).

Rep. Lee Introduces Bill To Assess National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and 87 other members of Congress last week introduced a bill (HR 1880) calling for an evaluation of “the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and progress toward achieving universal access to treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS,” according to a press release from Lee. “As we reaffirm our commitment on this occasion, we must stay vigilant to ensure greater progress is made in our communities and around the world,” Lee said in the release (5/13).