PEPFAR Misses Reauthorization Deadline and U.S. Global Health Leadership in Jeopardy

Editors' Note

On Tuesday, Congress missed a deadline to reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)—a program credited with saving more than 26 million lives by supplying HIV treatment and supporting prevention. With PEPFAR now in purgatory, its former Chief of Staff Jirair Ratevosian writes that the expiration of the program's authorization is "a symptom of a broader shift in U.S. foreign assistance policy" and outlines the obstacles that lie ahead for the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

To continue coverage of the U.S. retreat from global health leadership, The Carter Center's Vice President for Health Programs Kashef Ijaz highlights how health and development assistance advances U.S. interests. He warns that by withdrawing support, the United States risks collapsing health systems that keep people worldwide—including Americans—safe from disease threats.

Turning to the life sciences industry, Managing Director of Saena Partners Snehal A. Patel discusses how the opportunity costs associated with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's stringent regulatory processes stifle the commercialization of treatments. Patel argues that for the United States to maintain its status as the leader in innovation, it should take cues from China's streamlined regulations, proactive government policies, and strategic focus.

Amid global rollbacks on women's rights, the O'Neill Institute's Tlaleng Mofokeng and Sarah L. Bosha urge UN bodies to protect gender equality and the right to choose. They advise the Commission on the Status of Women to enhance accountability procedures and set up more monitoring tools that can complement academic arguments for legal and policy reforms.

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Until next week!—Nsikan Akpan, Managing Editor, and Caroline Kantis, Associate Editor