Kampala, December 1, 2022 – Today, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) commemorates World AIDS Day in Uganda as it reaffirms its commitment to the global fight against HIV/AIDS, remembering the 39 million people who have died of AIDS worldwide since the start of the pandemic.
We are proud of the tremendous progress we have made through PEPFAR, including the 25 million lives that have been saved around the world.
The Biden-Harris Administration is dedicated to ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat globally.
In support of this effort, PEPFAR is working with partners across the world to address health disparities among communities that continue to be left behind and have been disproportionately affected by multiple pandemics, which aligns with this year’s theme, “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV.”
“Achieving HIV epidemic control in Uganda is within sight,” U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Natalie E. Brown said, noting that over 1.3 million Ugandans living with HIV currently receive PEPFAR-supported anti-retroviral treatment.
In 2004, a Ugandan man was PEPFAR’s first client globally. Since receiving lifesaving care, he’s become a father, a teacher, and a preacher,
impacting positively the lives of many.
Thanks to collaborations with Ugandan partners, over 1,361,000 people in Uganda are currently enrolled on treatment as of September 2022, and over 1,162,000 people had viral load suppression.
These latest program results show remarkable impact and resilience despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 and Ebola. “Notwithstanding this progress, we must redouble our efforts, especially for young women in Uganda aged 15-24 whose infection rate is three times that of their male counterparts,” Brown added.
The United States is also increasingly engaging the Government of Uganda on ways the government can assume greater ownership of the response to ensure enduring sustainability.
Ahead of its 20 th anniversary, coming in 2023, PEPFAR is reinvigorating the U.S. global HIV/AIDS response in countries such as Uganda to achieve the shared vision of ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030, while sustainably strengthening public health systems.
As part of a new five-year strategy, PEPFAR will focus on collaboration and partnership to confront the challenge of fighting HIV/AIDS as a security threat in the wake of other emerging health threats.
“We have to remember, we’re fighting the virus, not the people. Inequities are one of the biggest barriers to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic,” said U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Health Diplomacy Ambassador at Large Dr. John Nkengasong.
“We are living in a world where we are interconnected and World AIDS Day reminds us that the responsibility to bring this pandemic to an end is a shared responsibility. As we celebrate how far we have come, we must continue our collective effort to close the gaps that remain and threaten the most vulnerable among us.”
The United States is also deeply committed to ending the inequities and service gaps that still stand in the way of disenfranchised communities in Uganda. PEPFAR supports partner countries and communities to ensure that people of all ages, genders, and population groups have equitable access to life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services.
To learn more about PEPFAR’s work in Uganda, visit www.state.gov/pepfar.