Bill Clinton, Bill Gates Unite in Foreign Aid Plea

In Washington on Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft founder Bill Gates called on lawmakers to support a budget bill that would direct funds to the Global Health Initiative. GHI was launched by the Davos Forum in 2002 to improve health worldwide and combat HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, and malnutrition.

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Clinton called the bill "the next logical step" in US efforts to boost global health. If approved, the bill would provide $63 billion over six years toward the initiative. Clinton said the proposed contribution was carefully designed for maximum impact. "I think the bill is well-conceived. It focuses on developing systems in the 28-plus [GHI] countries," he said.

"The thing I love best about the [GHI] proposal that the administration has made is that it is designed to work us all out of jobs," Clinton told lawmakers. Both the William J. Clinton Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been heavily involved in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. "It is designed to break the cycle of AIDS. It is designed to increase the capacity of local government."

Both Clinton and Gates acknowledged the current harsh economic climate. The proposed US contribution "reflects the budget constraints under which Congress labors," said Clinton.

Gates emphasized the amount requested is a tiny percentage of the US budget. "Our [global] health budget would be 1 percent of our military budget," he noted. "I would argue for an even higher percentage, because this is America at its best. Really helping people and putting them on a road to self-sufficiency."

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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