On the morning of May 9, 2023, in Hanoi, We at CARMAh are honored to receive the Award during PEPFAR’s 20th Anniversary.
The event was attended by Mr. Marc E. Knapper, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; Ms. Dao Hong Lan, Minister of Health of Vietnam; Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, Deputy Minister of Health; Mr. John Nkengasong, US Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Health Diplomacy; Mr. Peter Sand, Executive Director of the Global Fund; as well as representatives from the Government Office, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Vietnam Social Security. Leaders from various departments and offices under the Ministry of Health, provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and international delegates, along with numerous central and Hanoi-based media agencies, attended the event.
In his speech at the ceremony, Mr. Marc E. Knapper, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, stated that in 2003, the U.S. Government initiated the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Vietnam became the first and only country in Asia to receive PEPFAR’s concentrated support. Over the following 10 years, the United States became the largest sponsor of HIV prevention and control activities in Vietnam, contributing 46% of the total HIV prevention and control budget, with additional funding from the Global Fund and other partners. PEPFAR and the Global Fund jointly supported 90% of the costs for procuring antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in Vietnam, providing HIV-positive individuals with not only a chance to survive but also to thrive. Mr. Marc E. Knapper, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, expressed his desire to closely collaborate with the talented PEPFAR team in Vietnam to continue supporting the Vietnamese Government in ending HIV as a serious threat to public health by 2030.
