Dr. Deborah Birx an Outstanding Choice for Global AIDS Coordinator, says RESULTS
Washington, DC, January 10, 2014—Today the White House took an important step toward achieving its global health goals by nominating Dr. Deborah Birx as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. In this role, Dr. Birx will lead the country’s global response to HIV/AIDS through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and U.S. engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
“Dr. Birx is an outstanding choice to carry forward the fight against HIV/AIDS and the deadly co-epidemic of TB-HIV,” said Joanne Carter, executive director of RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund. “I am delighted with this nomination, and I am eager for Dr. Birx to bring her three decades of research, technical, and leadership experience to the important role of Global AIDS Coordinator.”
This nomination comes on the heels of the U.S.-hosted pledging conference for the Global Fund, where President Obama announced a historic three-year commitment of up to $5 billion. With strong bipartisan congressional support, last month the President also signed the PEPFAR Stewardship and Oversight Act, which positions PEPFAR for continued success.
Upon confirmation, Dr. Birx will be tasked with carrying forward the work of her predecessor, Ambassador Eric Goosby, which includes implementing the U.S. government’s PEPFAR Blueprint. The document outlines opportunities ahead in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including the need for a more aggressive response to tuberculosis, the leading killer of people with HIV/AIDS.
“Under Ambassador Goosby’s leadership, PEPFAR helped save millions of lives and make critical inroads against this disease,” said Carter. “The new scientific evidence and the work of the last decade position us to make even greater progress toward defeating these diseases if we remain ambitious. I look forward to working together with Dr. Birx and her staff toward achieving the shared vision of an AIDS-free generation.”
RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund
RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund are sister organizations that, together, are a leading force in ending poverty in the United States and around the world. We create long-term solutions to poverty by supporting programs that address its root causes — lack of access to medical care, education, or opportunity to move up the economic ladder. We do this by empowering ordinary people to become extraordinary voices for the end of poverty in their communities, the media, and the halls of government. The collective voices of these passionate grassroots activists, coordinated with grass-tops efforts driven by our staff, leverage millions of dollars for programs and improved policies that give low-income people the tools they need to move out of poverty.