Clinton Foundation Signs Agreement With Mozambique To Provide Funds for HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment
Former President Bill Clinton and Mozambican Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi yesterday in Maputo, Mozambique, signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing that the William J. Clinton Foundation will "assist the Mozambican authorities in their struggle against the AIDS epidemic," Agencia de Informacao de Mocambiquie/AllAfrica.com reports. The agreement "tries to ensure that everyone in Mozambique is covered by the education and prevention efforts against AIDS and has access to treatment and medicines," Clinton said, adding that HIV/AIDS is "the greatest challenge to health the world has faced for many decades." Although the funding specifics of the agreement have not been determined, money from Clinton's foundation will likely be used to train Mozambican staff to run expanded anti-AIDS programs and to support negotiation efforts between Mozambique officials and pharmaceutical companies to obtain less expensive antiretroviral drugs. Mozambican Health Minister Francisco Songane said that about 12% of Mozambicans ages 15 to 49 are HIV-positive (Agencia de Informacao de Mocambiquie/AllAfrica.com, 9/26). Clinton is touring Africa with actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker to promote efforts to fight HIV/AIDS on the continent. The group plans to visit South Africa this weekend and will return to the United States on Sunday (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 9/26).
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