By Shadrach Okon
The government of United States of America has given a special “Emergency Humanitarian Waiver” for HIV Treatment Funding across all the countries that receive United States foreign development assistance.
The news of the ” Emergency Humanitarian Waiver” was made known in a Press Statement from UNAIDS in Geneva to commend the decision of the US Secretary of States to continue HIV life-saving funding and convene partners to assess and mitigate impact on HIV services.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, in the press statement stated that the approval given by the United States Secretary of States Marco Rubio for Emergency Humanitarian Waiver will allow people to continue accessing HIV treatments funded by the US across 55 countries world wide.
Winnie Byanyima noted that PEPFAR plays a critical role in AIDS response and restores hope to people living with HIV.
According to the press statement, more than 20 million people living with HIV representing two-thirds of all the people living with HIV, receiving treatments globally are directly supported by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ( PEPFAR)- the world leading HIV initiative.
It would be recalled that President Donald Trump on his assumption of office as the 47th US President of United States of America had given an executive order announcing a 90-day pause in the United States foreign development assistance for assessment of pragrammatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy.
