United Nations Foundation President and CEO Kathy Calvin: New U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Brings Experience and Dedication to Important Role in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

United Nations Foundation President and CEO Kathy Calvin today issued the following statement regarding the White House’s nomination of Dr. Deborah Birx as the new U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. This position leads the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and manages the U.S. relationship with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

“Today’s nomination of Dr. Deborah Birx to serve as Ambassador at Large and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator is a welcome reinforcement of U.S. leadership  on HIV/AIDS. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a singular example of bipartisan commitment to fighting one of the world’s most pressing health challenges. In partnership with the Global Fund, PEPFAR has been instrumental in achieving progress on Millennium Development Goal 6 to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. It now supports HIV treatment, testing and counseling for millions of men, women and children worldwide. The White House clearly recognizes the importance and value of the initiative, and has chosen a candidate with an incredible depth of knowledge and experience to lead this work.

The United Nations Foundation looks forward to continued collaboration with Dr. Birx and the PEPFAR team at the U.S. Department of State, and to continuing our work to support prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS as a partner of The Global Fund. Tools like PEPFAR, in partnership with organizations such as the Global Fund and UNAIDS, will play an integral part in achieving the U.N. Secretary-General’s Global Plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keep HIV-positive mothers alive.”