PRESS RELEASE
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U.S. Government Reiterates Commitment to Support Mozambique in the HIV/AIDS Response
November 30, 2022 – On December 1, 2022, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Mozambique Jeremey Neitzke will participate in the central ceremony to celebrate World AIDS Day to commend the impressive progress that Mozambique and the United States have made as partners working together to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Since 2004, when Mozambique and the United States began to cooperate to combat HIV/AIDS through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. government has invested more than $5.2 billion to save millions of lives and prevent thousands of new HIV infections. This includes an investment of more than $400 million annually and a total of $1.2 billion in the past three years. More than 1.86 million Mozambicans living with HIV, including 95,000 children, are currently receiving life-saving treatment, which is a testament to the country’s continued progress toward achieving the global targets for epidemic control set for 2030. Thanks to the collaboration of the Mozambican health authorities with the U.S. government, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and other partners, free antiretroviral treatment is widely available in Mozambique for all people living with HIV.
In his remarks at the December 1 ceremony, Chargé Neitzke will recommit the U.S. government to its partnership with Mozambique aimed at ending AIDS by 2030. Additionally, the U.S. Embassy will project a red ribbon on the Embassy’s façade for four nights starting on World AIDS Day December 1 to symbolize the U.S. government’s support to Mozambique’s national HIV/AIDS response and to remember the many lives lost to AIDS worldwide. Also on December 1, members of the U.S Mission to Mozambique will join a bicycle ride and march in Maputo, in solidarity with organizations of people living with HIV to support efforts to eliminate stigma, discrimination, and other barriers that hinder access to health services for people affected by HIV/AIDS. The United States considers access to health care and the promotion of human rights as fundamental factors that will help Mozambique and its partners continue their progress towards achieving HIV epidemic control. Further, representatives from the mission will participate in various public programs along with members of the Government of Mozambique and other national response actors to reiterate our joint commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history, enabled by strong bipartisan support across ten U.S. congresses and four presidential administrations, and through the American people’s generosity. PEPFAR shows the power of what is possible through compassionate, cost-effective, accountable, and transparent American foreign assistance. In Mozambique, PEPFAR’s implementation is coordinated by a U.S. government team consisting of the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense, and the Peace Corps. For more information about PEPFAR’s work, visit www.state.gov/pepfar.
