Throughout an 11-day, seven-nation trip to Africa, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton displayed a commitment to HIV/AIDS programs. On August 7, Clinton visited the Cullinan Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa for a President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) event. She also signed a Partnership Framework plan with Angolan Minister of External Relations Assunção Afonso dos Anjos on August 10.

At the Cullinan Clinic, Clinton spoke with Minister of Health Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi about the need for both governments to work together to effectively combat the AIDS epidemic. Clinton made it clear that the Obama administration is dedicated to the issue. She said, “We want to not only target HIV/AIDS, but do it efficiently, and fulfill our commitment to the amount of money that was appropriated before and add to it.”

Also at the PEPFAR event was Congresswoman Nita Lowe, chair of the committee in the House of Representatives that allocates money for the United States Agency for International Development and PEPFAR. Lowe spoke specifically about PEPFAR’s involvement in South Africa and stressed investing in prevention to reduce the recent rise in the number of HIV cases.

Clinton echoed a similar message while in Angola. The newly formed Partnership Framework lays out a five-year plan of cooperation between the two governments to combat AIDS. The plan combines the goals of Angola’s HIV National Strategic Plan for 2007-2010 as well as PEPFAR’s goals for prevention, care, and treatment.

Some of the proposed actions in the plan include strengthening health systems, expanding monitoring and evaluation, preventing mother-to-child transmission, addressing co-infection with tuberculosis, investigating the contribution of male circumcision, and addressing discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

The purpose of Clinton’s trip is to highlight President Barack Obama’s commitment to making Africa a priority in U.S. foreign policy. Along with Obama’s visit in July, Clinton’s trip marks the earliest of any administration to Africa. Her trip includes stops in Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, and Cape Verde and is scheduled to end August 14.

For more information, please read Clinton’s remarks at the Cullinan Clinic or read about the Partnership Framework. For more about PEPFAR funding, see the related AIDS Beacon news article.