PEPFAR 2016 Annual Report to Congress

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has made significant strides in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic globally. Since its inception in 2003, PEPFAR has invested in core HIV prevention and treatment services, resulting in a halt to the escalation of new HIV infections and mortality rates worldwide. The program has saved millions of lives and prevented millions more HIV infections, providing compassionate care and support for millions of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children. PEPFAR has built and strengthened the capacity of country-specific and country-led responses in both government and civil society, fostering collaboration among the U.S. government, partner governments, and global partners. The program has also accelerated progress toward a world safer and more secure from infectious disease threats by strengthening the global capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats. PEPFAR's health system strengthening investments in countries with a sizable HIV/AIDS burden have paid large dividends in these countries' ability to swiftly detect and respond to outbreaks such as Ebola, avian flu, and cholera. PEPFAR's impact extends beyond the health sector, also strengthening economic development, stability, and communities. The program has powerfully and unequivocally proven that investing in health is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do. As of September 30, 2015, PEPFAR had supported lifesaving antiretroviral treatment (ART) for 9.5 million men, women, and children, a more than four-fold increase since the beginning of President Obama's administration. To prevent infection in young men, PEPFAR has supported more than 8.9 million voluntary medical male circumcisions (VMMCs) in eastern and southern Africa. In fiscal year 2015 alone, PEPFAR supported HIV testing services (HTS) for more than 14.7 million pregnant women, enabling 831,500 of the women who tested positive to get antiretroviral medications (ARVs) for their own health and to ensure their babies are born HIV-free. PEPFAR is on track to achieve the bold HIV prevention and treatment targets announced by President Obama in September 2015. Each individual reached through PEPFAR contributes to the health of their family, community, and country, making this the ultimate measure of success. PEPFAR is a reflection of the compassion of the American people and has become an iconic brand of U.S. government engagement in health, development, and diplomacy. The program's substantial investments in health system strengthening have paid large dividends in countries' ability to detect and respond to outbreaks. PEPFAR has also fostered collaboration among the U.S. government, partner governments, and global partners, accelerating progress toward a world safer and more secure from infectious disease threats. By setting and being held accountable to clear metrics, PEPFAR has demonstrated the possibility of achieving clear results in global health.