The Feb. 24 event will include a testimonial from Ukrainian HIV/AIDS advocates Dmytro Sherembei and Valeriia Rachynska.
WASHINGTON, D.C.— 66th U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice and Former President of the United Republic of Tanzania Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete will join President George W. Bush for a conversation during PEPFAR at 20, an event marking 20 years of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) hosted by the George W. Bush Institute at the United States Institute of Peace on Feb. 24 starting at 9:00 a.m. ET. The trio will discuss the inception of PEPFAR, its enormous impact, and how the program is a win for both partner countries and for U.S. foreign policy.
In addition, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will join David J. Kramer, Executive Director of the Bush Institute, to discuss how PEPFAR’s successful program model can inform U.S. engagement in global health and development more broadly. Mrs. Laura Bush will provide brief remarks and introduce Tatu Msangi and Faith Mang’ehe, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Ambassadors from Tanzania who attended the State of the Union address in 2008. Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State, will deliver virtual remarks to honor PEPFAR’s milestone anniversary. We will hear from Ukrainian HIV/AIDS advocates Dmytro Sherembei and Valeriia Rachynska about how PEPFAR helped change the trajectory of AIDS in Ukraine and continues to innovatively provide care despite Russia’s ongoing invasion. The event will also include conversations on what must be done to meet the global goal of ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Members of the media can apply for credentials at www.bushcenter.org/credentials.
“PEPFAR is arguably the most successful U.S. foreign assistance program ever, having saved more than 25 million lives to date,” said David J. Kramer, Executive Director of the Bush Institute. “PEPFAR has also strengthened health systems, emboldened democracies, supported economic growth, and advanced progress on human rights. Congress and the American people should continue to support PEPFAR until AIDS is no longer a threat.”
Other event participants will include: Ken Hersh, CEO and President of the George W. Bush Presidential Center; Wendy Sherman, United States Deputy Secretary of State; Ambassador Dr. John Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy; The Honorable Senator Lizzie Nkosi, Minister for Health of Eswatini; Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS; Peter Sands, Executive Director of The Global Fund; and Dr. Wafaa El Sadr, Founder and Director of ICAP at Columbia University. For a full list of confirmed speakers, click here.
While the event is invitation only, it will be livestreamed at www.bushcenter.org/pepfarat20.
PEPFAR at 20 is part of the Bush Institute’s body of work advocating for continued support of PEPFAR’s mission and U.S engagement in global health. To mark the 20th anniversary of the program, the Bush Institute released a series of reports examining lessons learned from PEPFAR written by Dr. Deborah L. Birx, Senior Fellow at the Bush Institute and former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Dr. William R. Steiger, Global Health Consultant at the Bush Institute and former Director of the Office of Global Health Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Crystal Cazier, Deputy Director of Global Health at the Bush Institute. In January, the Bush Institute released recommendations and short analyses on policy challenges facing the Nation and included briefs focused on PEPFAR.
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What: PEPFAR at 20 event
When: Feb. 24, 2023
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. ET
Where: The United States Institute of Peace
*While the event is invitation only, it will be livestreamed at bushcenter.org/pepfarat20.
Members of the media can apply for credentials at www.bushcenter.org/credentials. Additional information regarding credentials confirmation, parking, facility access, interviews and other details will be sent to media representatives who complete the credentialing process on the Bush Center website. All members of the media–reporters, photographers, videographers and crew–are required to have and display credentials in order to cover PEPFAR at 20.
About the George W. Bush Institute
The George W. Bush Institute is a solution-oriented nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies. Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush Institute is rooted in compassionate conservative values and committed to creating positive, meaningful, and lasting change at home and abroad. We utilize our unique platform and convening power to advance solutions to national and global issues of the day. Learn more at www.bushcenter.org.
