PEPFAR Reauthorization
PEPFAR Reauthorized for One Year
On March 23, 2024, the US Congress passed a funding bill that was signed by President Biden and includes a one-year reauthorization for PEPFAR (which would need to be reauthorized again on March 25th, 2025). While CCIH is grateful the reauthorization continues the bipartisan consensus and support of global health programs, we hope Congress will use this extra time to provide a multi-year reauthorization to PEPFAR soon. This would allow partners to more accurately plan out their own activities and support programs that address HIV/AIDS. See more below about the challenges to PEPFAR, unfounded rumors and how CCIH and others in the faith community have responded in defense of PEPFAR, one of the most successful and lifesaving health programs.
Rumors Regarding PEPFAR and Abortions
The 2023 PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) reauthorization was complicated by rumors that the program funds abortions. Shepherd Smith, Co-founder of Children’s AIDS Fund International has been a strong advocate for and involved in Christian work to care for and provide support for people living with HIV for many years, going back to before PEPFAR’s creation.
Shepherd Smith researched the situation and found no evidence to support the rumor that PEPFAR is funding – or has funded – abortion or promoted abortion and wrote a summary of his findings, as well as an opinion piece explaining why Why a One-Year PEPFAR-Reauthorization Is a Really Bad Idea. In the piece Shepherd explains the pitfalls of the one-year reauthorization and presents why conservatives and pro-life advocates who have knowledge about the program and work in developing countries have always been supportive of PEPFAR.
Opinion Pieces from Faith Actors Supporting a Clean PEPFAR Reauthorization
CCIH, the Christian Health Association of Kenya and the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services contributed to this opinion piece posted by the Global AIDS Policy Partnership on “Why Christian Organizations Want Congress to Reauthorize PEPFAR.”
In this opinion piece in the New York Times, Father Richard Bauer shares his experience working for 25 years in clinics for people with HIV in Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia and the transformational impact he saw from PEPFAR. Father Bauer is a Roman Catholic priest with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers who serves as a hospital chaplain and social worker. In the piece, he expresses his support for a clean five-year PEPFAR reauthorization and debunks the rumors that PEPFAR funds have been used for abortions.
World Relief President and CEO Myal Greene wrote an opinion piece published in The Hill about PEPFAR and why he supports it: PEPFAR is a pro-life miracle – evangelicals must continue to support it.
Advocacy Resources
CCIH Advocacy Toolkit
CCIH released this advocacy toolkit in 2022 that we hope members will be able to use and customize to achieve their advocacy goals. We aim for it to be useful for organizations that have been advocating for years, as well as for those who are just beginning. To help guide development of the toolkit, CCIH conducted several focus group conversations with members to learn more about their advocacy outreach and ways that CCIH might be more effective in supporting those efforts.
CCIH Advocacy Advisor Bob Noziglia wrote this blogpost to share some highlights of those conversations and what we’ve learned, as well as a follow up piece to explore the influence of faith communities a little deeper. We hope you will use the toolkit and we would appreciate hearing from you about your thoughts or suggestions for advocacy tools so we can continuously improve the toolkit.
CCIH Voice on the Global Stage
CCIH staff participate in many advisory councils, coalitions, communities of practice, networks, roundtables, and working groups to share our expertise on a variety of issues and speak up for faith-based actors. See a list of groups
Why Christians Support Strong Global Health Programs
This two-page brief explains why US support of strong global health programs aligns with Christian values and is a wise investment to protect security and economies.
Christian Voices on the Importance of Advocacy
In this video, CCIH members explain the value of U.S. foreign assistance and why advocating and speaking out for those without a voice is important to them as Christians.
Issues & Actions
April, 2024
Urgent Passage of Additional Emergency Funding to Save Lives
In light of multiple crises – some receiving much attention and others receiving very little – CCIH released this statement urging Congress to swiftly pass a funding package, and strongly opposes any efforts to reduce or remove resources that would go towards humanitarian efforts. As a network of Christian organizations working to care for and protect the world’s most vulnerable, we applaud the US Congress for taking steps to save lives.
See the StatementApril, 2024
Integrating HIV Activities into Broader Health Services
CCIH joined medical, public health and faith-based organizations in signing onto a letter sent to the leadership of the US House and Senate State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriation subcommittee requiring PEPFAR to provide information on how it plans to increase support for integration of health services, such as a target for increasing the proportion of PEPFAR funding that goes towards broad-based service delivery covering HIV, other priority health conditions in the community, and outbreak prevention and response in existing integrated health services.
See The LetterMarch, 2024
2030 Collaborative Letter for the Global Fund
CCIH joined leaders of faith communities in signing the 2030 Collaborative Letter for the Global Fund, which urges Congress to allocate up to $1.65 billion for the Global Fund in fiscal year 2025 to sustain vital healthcare services. The letter emphasizes the Global Fund’s role in saving millions of lives and reducing death rates from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria since 2002. It also shares the Fund’s commitment to prioritizing the poorest and most disadvantaged communities, showcasing its contributions to global health security and resilience.
See The LetterMarch, 2024
CCIH Non-Discrimination Regulation Comment
CCIH submitted comments on the US State Department’s proposed non-discrimination rules. While CCIH supports non-discrimination, our comments express concerns about implementation due to diverse global challenges. The comments highlight potential negative impacts on organizations complying with local laws and emphasize the importance of considering implications for marginalized populations and faith-based organizations’ collaboration with the US government.
See The Letter