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Donald Trump's pledge to withhold funding from a United Nations-backed effort to fight HIV/AIDS in poor countries could lead to millions more deaths, the organization's leader said Tuesday. Michel Sidibé, executive director of the U.N. Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), told VOA that Trump's decision could roll back all the progress made over the past two decades. Mr. President, he said, I think this is a terrible message to send to the world and particularly in Africa. Trump signed an order Monday freezing funding to international organizations that perform abortions or provide information about them. The president has also ordered a review of U.S. foreign aid programs to determine how they can be more effective. The executive order applies only to family planning groups, but it could also affect UNAIDS because the organization works closely with other agencies to fight HIV/AIDS around the world. A senior State Department official said Tuesday that UNAIDs is not subject to the president's order. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, noted that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had been assured by a senior White House official that funding for UNAIDS would continue. But Trump's action has already caused fear and uncertainty among health workers who have been fighting AIDS for years, Sidibé said. He added that the president needs to listen to his own scientists because they are telling him that you cannot win against any disease by hiding your head in the sand. The U.S. spent about $3 billion last year on global AIDS programs, according to UNAIDS. About two-thirds of that was spent within American borders. The remaining funds went largely to countries in Africa and Asia, where HIV/AIDS are still major public health concerns. The president's action could have very negative repercussions for those countries, Sidibé said. We cannot accept this decision. He noted that the global community has made great strides against AIDS, but there is more work to do. He cited a 50 percent increase in new HIV infections among gay men in England and an explosion of drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis. The U.S. government's global health spending has decreased by about $1 billion since Trump took office, according to the Center for Global Development, which tracks funding levels. That includes cuts to agencies that deal with AIDS but also to other global health programs. Ultimately what we're going to see is less American leadership and influence in global health, said Amanda Glassman, vice president of research at the center. The United States has been a leader in global health for years. In addition to cutting spending, Trump also has appointed officials with histories of questioning whether human activities are causing climate change. Global health experts say it is important for scientists and governments around the world to work together on a host of issues. The problem is not that we're going to have less funding for malaria or HIV treatment, Glassman said. It's just that we need more collaboration, more leadership in global health. That's what's at stake.
Donald Trump's pledge to withhold funding from a United Nations-backed effort to fight HIV/AIDS in poor countries could lead to millions more deaths, the organization's leader said Tuesday. Michel Sidibé, executive director of the U.N. Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), told VOA that Trump's decision could roll back all the progress made over the past two decades. Mr. President, he said, I think this is a terrible message to send to the world and particularly in Africa. Trump signed an order Monday freezing funding to international organizations that perform abortions or provide information about them. The president has also ordered a review of U.S. foreign aid programs to determine how they can be more effective. The executive order applies only to family planning groups, but it could also affect UNAIDS because the organization works closely with other agencies to fight HIV/AIDS around the world. A senior State Department official said Tuesday that UNAIDs is not subject to the president's order. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, noted that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had been assured by a senior White House official that funding for UNAIDS would continue. But Trump's action has already caused fear and uncertainty among health workers who have been fighting AIDS for years, Sidibé said. He added that the president needs to listen to his own scientists because they are telling him that you cannot win against any disease by hiding your head in the sand. The U.S. spent about $3 billion last year on global AIDS programs, according to UNAIDS. About two-thirds of that was spent within American borders. The remaining funds went largely to countries in Africa and Asia, where HIV/AIDS are still major public health concerns. The president's action could have very negative repercussions for those countries, Sidibé said. We cannot accept this decision. He noted that the global community has made great strides against AIDS, but there is more work to do. He cited a 50 percent increase in new HIV infections among gay men in England and an explosion of drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis. The U.S. government's global health spending has decreased by about $1 billion since Trump took office, according to the Center for Global Development, which tracks funding levels. That includes cuts to agencies that deal with AIDS but also to other global health programs. Ultimately what we're going to see is less American leadership and influence in global health, said Amanda Glassman, vice president of research at the center. The United States has been a leader in global health for years. In addition to cutting spending, Trump also has appointed officials with histories of questioning whether human activities are causing climate change. Global health experts say it is important for scientists and governments around the world to work together on a host of issues. The problem is not that we're going to have less funding for malaria or HIV treatment, Glassman said. It's just that we need more collaboration, more leadership in global health. That's what's at stake.
Donald Trump's pledge to withhold funding from a United Nations-backed effort to fight HIV/AIDS in poor countries could lead to millions more deaths, the organization's leader said Tuesday.
Michel Sidibé, executive director of the U.N. Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), told VOA that Trump's decision could roll back all the progress made over the past two decades.
Mr. President, he said, I think this is a terrible message to send to the world and particularly in Africa.
Trump signed an order Monday freezing funding to international organizations that perform abortions or provide information about them. The president has also ordered a review of U.S. foreign aid programs to determine how they can be more effective.
The executive order applies only to family planning groups, but it could also affect UNAIDS because the organization works closely with other agencies to fight HIV/AIDS around the world.
A senior State Department official said Tuesday that UNAIDs is not subject to the president's order. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, noted that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had been assured by a senior White House official that funding for UNAIDS would continue.
But Trump's action has already caused fear and uncertainty among health workers who have been fighting AIDS for years, Sidibé said. He added that the president needs to listen to his own scientists because they are telling him that you cannot win against any disease by hiding your head in the sand.
The U.S. spent about $3 billion last year on global AIDS programs, according to UNAIDS. About two-thirds of that was spent within American borders.
The remaining funds went largely to countries in Africa and Asia, where HIV/AIDS are still major public health concerns.
The president's action could have very negative repercussions for those countries, Sidibé said. We cannot accept this decision.
He noted that the global community has made great strides against AIDS, but there is more work to do. He cited a 50 percent increase in new HIV infections among gay men in England and an explosion of drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis.
The U.S. government's global health spending has decreased by about $1 billion since Trump took office, according to the Center for Global Development, which tracks funding levels. That includes cuts to agencies that deal with AIDS but also to other global health programs.
Ultimately what we're going to see is less American leadership and influence in global health, said Amanda Glassman, vice president of research at the center. The United States has been a leader in global health for years.
In addition to cutting spending, Trump also has appointed officials with histories of questioning whether human activities are causing climate change. Global health experts say it is important for scientists and governments around the world to work together on a host of issues.
The problem is not that we're going to have less funding for malaria or HIV treatment, Glassman said. It's just that we need more collaboration, more leadership in global health. That's what's at stake.
