Diary Prequel Package — page 8

working with local organizations, such as missionary hospitals and clinics, is an effective way to lessen the impact of the epidemic on individuals, families and communities. We should also encourage countries to adopt comprehensive, evidence-based national strategies to ensure the resources we devote to this challenge are well-managed to produce the results we seek. This is not, however, an issue that the U.S. Government can -- or should -- solve single handedly. We must reach out to a number of partners: our allies, the international community, pharmaceutical manufacturers, non-profits like the Gates Foundation, and the faith-based community that has infrastructure on the ground in the developing world. A successful strategy to reduce the impact of infectious disease requires close donor cooperation to achieve maximum efficiency and avoid competition and duplication of efforts. The Bush Administration stands ready to contribute to a comprehensive plan to improve the public health delivery system in Africa and other parts of the world where HIV is rapidly expanding, an effort that should include prevention of new infections, care for the sick, provision of drugs, and training of medical professionals. To this end, we appeal to the world to join us in establishing a new, multi-lateral Global Fund to Fight Infectious Diseases, an international public-private partnership to provide grants for prevention and health infrastructure development focused on fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. We believe the fund should operate under the following series of core principles: ? Our goals are to prevent new HIV infections and treat those already afflicted, to build the infrastructure for health care and disease control, and to develop and train human resources. ? We seek to support a community-driven process that identifies the needs of affected areas and allows communities themselves to develop an appropriate, comprehensive set of medical, social and support services. ? We must build on already established institutions and networks in local areas, including research relationships, to ensure we are creating human and physical capacity that is sustainable over the long run. ? We support an integrated approach focusing on prevention, delivery, care and