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PRESS & NEWS | NOVEMBER 28, 2005
PRESS RELEASE: CLINTON FOUNDATION AND GOVERNMENT OF UKRAINE ENTER INTO HIV/AIDS PARTNERSHIP
Collaboration Will Greatly Increase Access to Quality HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment in Ukraine.
President Bill Clinton and Ukrainian Minister of Health Dr. Yuri Poliachenko today signed an agreement enabling the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative to assist the government of Ukraine in scaling up their national HIV/AIDS program. The partnership will expand the work of the Clinton Foundation in Ukraine, including the establishment of a training and mentoring program for HIV/AIDS clinicians, assistance with national drug procurement processes, and the further incorporation of HIV+ injection drug users into comprehensive care and treatment programs.
Ukraine is already a member of the Clinton Foundation procurement consortium, a group of over fifty countries with access to the Clinton Foundation’s low prices for anti-retroviral drugs and HIV/AIDS diagnostics.
Speaking of the expanded partnership, President Clinton said, “I am happy to be in Kiev signing this important agreement extending the Clinton Foundation's work with the Government of Ukraine. I applaud my friend President Yushchenko and the Government of Ukraine for their proactive stance in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They have demonstrated great leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the region, and I look forward to working more closely with them.”
Ukraine is facing one of the most serious HIV/AIDS crises in the region, with an estimated 500,000 HIV+ people. The government has been proactive in addressing the problem, showing an impressive commitment to both treating and curtailing the spread of HIV/AIDS. It has established a National Program on HIV/AIDS Prevention, and an Inter-ministerial Commission on AIDS chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister. It is implementing the fifth National Program on HIV/AIDS Prevention, and has set up an Inter-ministerial body on AIDS – National Coordination Council.
Partnering with the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative will help to reduce the cost, streamline the national plan, and improve the level of treatment available to the hundreds of thousands of infected Ukrainians.
THE CLINTON FOUNDATION HIV/AIDS INITIATIVE
Since 2002, the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative has been assisting countries in implementing large-scale, integrated care, treatment and prevention programs. It partners with more than a dozen countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. Individual governments take the lead and the Foundation provides technical assistance, mobilizes human and financial resources, and facilitates the sharing of best practices across projects. The Foundation also provides access to prices for HIV/AIDS drugs and diagnostics that are 50-90 percent lower than market rates. More than 40 countries have access to medicines and tests under the Clinton Foundation’s agreements.
The HIV/AIDS Initiative has relied on hundreds of part-time and full-time volunteers and presently employs more than 300 people in developing countries and the United States.
For his leadership on HIV/AIDS, President Clinton has been honored with the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind from the National Foundation for Infectious Disease as well as the 2005 Pasteur Foundation Humanitarian Award.
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