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About the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

HIV/AIDS Pandemic

About two-thirds (67%) of all people with HIV worldwide are in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2021: 

  • About 38.4 million people were living with HIV
  • 670,000 adults and children were newly infected
  • 280,000 people died from the disease

Worldwide in 2021: 

  • 650,000 people died of AIDS
  • About 1.5 million people were newly infected 

In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 39 million people were living with HIV worldwide.

History of PEPFAR

On May 27, 2003, the United States Leadership Against Global HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 was signed into law (PDF). This created the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest health program worldwide for a single disease. The plan emphasizes a “whole government” response to provide the most effective interventions. Many federal agencies are involved in PEPFAR’s implementation, including: 

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
  • U.S. Department of State U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) 
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • Peace Corps
PEPFAR funded countries

PEPFAR 3.0

  • Impact: efficient and effective control of the HIV epidemic
  • Efficiency: increased transparency, oversight, and accountability across PEPFAR
  • Sustainability: sustainable governance, increased country funding and local partner implementation
  • Partnership: renewed national and global commitments to an AIDS-free generation
  • Human Rights: promotion and protection of human rights for all, including LGBT people and other vulnerable populations
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