'Strong' FY14 budget request for Global Fund can ensure investment returns

Amanda Glassman and Jenny Ottenhoff of the Center for Global Development (CGD) write in the CGD's "Global Health Policy" blog about "the tough trade-offs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must be considering as they finalize the president's FY14 budget request to Congress, expected to be released in mid-March." They provide several reasons why "a strong FY14 request is critical to help maintain the momentum of ongoing reforms at the Global Fund [to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria] and leverage more from other donors," and write they "also hope this moment can spur an honest conversation about trade-offs in global health financing." They continue, "Indeed, an assessment of the comparative advantages and limitations of global donors working on HIV/AIDS could help ensure the U.S. gets the most health for every dollar invested," concluding "[We] hope the president's FY14 budget will strongly support the Global Fund at this critical moment, and open up a conversation on how and where U.S. investments in AIDS can make the most impact moving forward" (3/5).