Statement, article respond to new U.S. Office of Global Health Diplomacy

Dec 21 2012

The State Department on Friday announced the selection of U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby to lead the State Department's new Office of Global Health Diplomacy. The following press statement and article were published in response to the announcement.

• Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN): "We congratulate Ambassador Eric Goosby on his appointment to lead the State Department's new Office of Global Health Diplomacy," the statement says. "We are concerned, however, that the continued consolidation of power over health and development programs in the State Department threatens to undermine our overall efforts to achieve greater impact in alleviating poverty, eradicating disease, and fostering inclusive economic growth," the statement continues (12/18).
• World Politics Review: "The global health community has had mixed reactions to the creation of the Office of Global Health Diplomacy, which is tasked with providing diplomatic support for the implementation of global health objectives and principles," the news service reports. The article highlights a recent blog post on the issue by Amanda Glassman, director of global health policy and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, and provides a number of quotes from her on "whether diplomats should have control over the programmatic aspects of health systems" (Cheney, 12/18).