U.S. government 'catalyzing' international community to end preventable child deaths

Apr 27 2012

"When it comes to promoting global health, the American people have much to celebrate and be proud of. With strong bipartisan support, the U.S. government has not only committed many billions of dollars and saved many millions of lives, it has changed the way the world approaches foreign aid," former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Mark Dybul writes in an opinion piece in The Hill. He highlights several U.S. initiatives, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation, PEPFAR, and the President's Malaria Initiative, among others, "that definitively changed how the U.S. serves its global sisters and brothers," and writes, "[T]hese solid investments in saving and lifting up lives have changed how people around the world view America and Americans."

"Today another chapter is being written. The U.S. Government is catalyzing governments and partners around the world to end preventable child deaths," he writes, and highlights USAID's "Every Child Deserves a Fifth Birthday" social media campaign, launched by USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah on Monday. In addition, he notes, "At a 'Call to Action' in June, the governments of the United States, India, and Ethiopia, together with UNICEF, are mobilizing the world" with the message "that all governments and citizens are responsible for the health of the world's children." He concludes, "One thing every American can agree on is this: every child deserves a fifth birthday" (4/23).