The global rollout of HIV programs for the prevention and treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART) is one of the most impressive and important achievements in the history of public health, saving in the range of 20 million lives.
The success was largely driven by the creation of national systems for the purchase and distribution of life-long therapy. The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest international health initiative in history for a single disease, created the momentum and, in the early going, provided the lion’s share of external financial and technical resources. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria (the Global Fund), an innovative public-private partnership, marshalled financial resources from around the world, but also helped to bring together key UN agencies, e.g. UNAIDS and WHO, in a coordinated approach to support national responses.
