President Obama's budget, transmitted to Congress this morning, includes $8.5 billion for a Global Health Initiative. Based on projections to continue supporting robust U.S. programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria and implement GHI priorities -- $16.4 billion is required in FY2011.
The bottom line: "Through the appropriations process, the Congress has an opportunity and must work to get the Obama administration on the right track by fully funding PEPFAR, malaria and TB programs, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria and to tackle other diseases laid out in the President's Global Health Initiative," asserted Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance.
The Global Health Initiative reflects a genuine improvement in the U.S. approach to global security and development. But the funds requested will not fully implement the Global Health Initiative; in fact – this is a minimalist approach to Global Health. "I expected more from this administration," noted Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Millennium Development Goals. "The President campaigned with wonderful words, pointing out that development is part of the path to global security. But he's not following through on those words with real programmatic work...This is a blunder. Somebody at OMB just doesn't realize what's happening on the international scene."
The need to fill in the gap between rhetoric and action is urgent. Human lives and global security hang in the balance. The U.S. already aggressively employs Defense and Diplomacy in its approach to national security. To put our full weight behind a comprehensive and effective approach to security, it is imperative that Development be fully funded. "If only 4% of military spending is put toward a developmental approach, it will be an unhappy world, and a dangerous one," said Dr. Sachs.
Foreign development assistance is crucial to our national security. In order to neutralize environments that cultivate instability and terrorism, we must invest in eradicating poverty, lessen disease and expand access to education around the world. "In the administration I served in, we were clear about the absolutely critical role development played in our national security strategy. I'm encouraged by President Obama's approach with regard to policy, but to not fund it is a mistake," said Scott Evertz, former Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy in the George W. Bush administration.