Special Initiatives

Global Initiative on HIV/AIDS

In 2006, building on 20 years of local partnerships to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS on five continents, we launched a five-year, $45 million initiative to help ensure that massive new global investments in medical and technological breakthroughs are matched by an equally significant focus on the disease’s social, political and cultural impact.

A Growing Conviction to Defeat HIV/AIDS

Having been lowered by UNAIDS in late 2007 to reflect more accurate surveys, the statistics remain daunting. In the past year, 2.5 million people became infected with HIV and 2.1 million died of AIDS-related illnesses. Around the world, more than 33 million people live with HIV. Ignorance and discrimination persist, making it difficult for many people to access services, care and treatment. In spite of these challenges, there is a growing conviction to fight AIDS at a global level, with more players and resources at the table than ever before. Funding and policy decisions with far-reaching consequences are being made in a variety of important global forums.

Around the globe, social, political and cultural factors contribute to the spread of HIV. To foster societies and standards that can successfully control the spread, our initiative works to ensure that global efforts and decision making reflect the diverse local realities of the world’s HIV epidemics.

Key Strategies

We believe in global action to:

Create deeper talent pools of professional and community leaders knowledgeable about the best practices for preventing and treating HIV/AIDS, and to support them in taking action
Ensure equal access to HIV prevention, support and treatment—regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or social or economic status
Encourage accountability and commitment among government officials, social and business leaders, and cultural standard-setters
Support collaborative approaches that bring together diverse individuals and groups to multiply the results of their efforts
Strengthen understanding and advocacy to address underlying determinants such as gender inequality, lack of sexual rights, poverty and discrimination

A History of Local Grants, a Commitment to Global Results

Grants made through the foundation’s regional offices have historically been the cornerstone of our work, ensuring that our actions are relevant to people living with HIV and to those who are most at risk. Our Global Initiative on HIV/AIDS extends the impact of this work by bringing the knowledge and experience of our local grantees to global dialogue and policy-making forums. Our commitment to defeating HIV/AIDS builds on two decades of experience funding innovative work on five continents.

In the United States, we helped establish the civil society base credited with making advances in HIV prevention and treatment policy and with compelling the nation to become the largest bilateral supporter of HIV services worldwide.
Around the world, our support has made it possible for nongovernmental organizations to take an active role in local and nationwide HIV prevention and treatment efforts. This has included the involvement of people living with HIV and of socially marginalized populations.

In addition, our work in community mobilization and leadership development has changed the way public health is practiced by fast-tracking new drugs; ensuring that the views of affected populations and activists are included in policymaking; and increasing the participation of marginalized populations.