Speeches Shim
Achieving our internationally agreed development goals requires accelerated progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment. A growing body of evidence shows that empowering women and reducing gender gaps in health, education, labor markets, and other areas is associated with lower poverty, higher economic growth, greater agricultural productivity, better nutrition and education of children, and a variety of other outcomes.
The illegal wildlife trade is a multi-billion dollar business, threatening the Lower Mekong region's unique ecosystems and robbing people of the benefits they provide. Wildlife trafficking undermines law enforcement, strengthens criminal syndicates, and raises the risk that diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans. The traffickers are well-organized; they prey on endangered species, move them across borders, and sell them around the world. Addressing these challenges means targeting each aspect of wildlife crime.
For more than a decade, USAID has been a global leader in microbicide research and development. Since 2000, USAID has collaborated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration to develop and implement the U.S. Government Strategic Plan for Microbicides. Guided by this plan, USAID is committed to supporting the development of safe, effective, acceptable, and affordable microbicide products that are suitable for use in developing-country public sector programs.
As we enter our 50th year as the principal U.S. development agency providing assistance to improve the lives of millions worldwide, USAID is pleased to play a leading role in implementing President Obama’s vision for global development.
HIV/AIDS and TB co-infection present special challenges to the expansion and effectiveness of DOTS programs and the Stop TB Strategy. TB accounts for one-quarter of AIDS deaths worldwide and is one of the most common causes of morbidity in people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA).
The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to impose a global burden, especially on developing countries. In the present as in the past, viral infectious diseases are most effectively controlled – some even eradicated – through prevention programs that include a vaccine. No single approach to HIV/AIDS prevention is likely to have a dramatic impact. Integrated approaches to prevention, detection, and management that are tailored to specific populations yield the best results. Reversing the course of the AIDS pandemic will require carefully combined strategies that include behavioral, biomedical, and even surgical methods to prevent HIV, as is the case with male circumcision. An effective HIV vaccine would significantly advance successful prevention strategies to control the AIDS pandemic.
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