Global AIDS Policy Partnership Statement in Support of Heroes Act 2020

Contact

Kay Marshall, +1 (347) 249-6375, kay@avac.org

The Global AIDS Policy Partners (GAPP) issued the following statement regarding the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, or Heroes Act, released today:

The Global AIDS Policy Partnership (GAPP) applauds and strongly supports the provision of much-needed funding to global health efforts as part of the next COVID-19 relief package, led by the House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Including at least $3.5 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFTAM) to support low to middle income countries to bolster health systems and respond to the outbreak, and $1 billion for the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), will be essential to advance COVID-19-related support for these programs and to resume pre-pandemic work addressing the full array of challenges that these programs now face.

The COVID-19 pandemic has harmed efforts to control HIV and other global health programs and could reverse a decade of progress. In fact, according to UNAIDS, just a six-month disruption in HIV treatment access could lead to an additional 500,000 HIV-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa alone. We are in the early stages of this new pandemic but have already seen the effects on these other long-standing epidemics. TB case detection programs have stalled in many countries; PEPFAR programs have had to adapt or have halted prevention programming; a number of HIV treatment centers have reported fewer people are accessing antiretroviral treatment raising the threat of greater mortality and HIV infection; and some malaria campaigns have been suspended.

Years of sustained PEPFAR and GFTAM investment has strengthened supported countries’ laboratory networks, surveillance capacity, health care workers and supply chains, allowing them to respond efficiently and effectively to COVID-19. But capacity has become strained as the need to fight both epidemics simultaneously takes hold. While this represents a critical investment in addressing the primary and secondary effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting recession, much more is and will be needed in the months to come in order to preserve decades of US investments in global health and economic development globally.

Funding allocated in the Heroes Act would allow us to safeguard decades of progress against HIV, TB and malaria and save millions more people from these diseases. This additional funding for the global response to COVID-19 will protect the more than $80 billion investment United States taxpayers have made in stopping three of the world's most pernicious killers, while allowing the programs designed to combat HIV, TB and malaria to support the response to COVID-19.

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The GAPP is a coalition of over 60 advocacy and implementing organizations committed to expanding and improving global HIV/AIDS programming.