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UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima has described the United States of America’s decision to freeze funding for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as shocking.
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) funded projects in South Africa have received waiver letters in which they’ve been asked to review their activities.
Byanyima says the US is a major external donor, contributing close to 50% of the funds in HIV/AIDS programmes in many African countries where the AIDS pandemic is prevalent.
“The announcement has been shocking because of its immediacy and because of the important role the United States plays for us in the HIV response. Globally, the United States shoulders about 73% of the total cost of the global response that is supported externally so they are the major external donor.”
“Here in Africa, in many countries where the AIDS pandemic is concentrated, our dependence on US assistance is more than 50%; and some up to 90% in countries like Tanzania and countries like Uganda, more than 70%. So, the immediacy means that countries do not have the time to move quickly to fill an important gap,” adds Byanyima.
