WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) President and CEO Liz Schrayer issued the following statement on Tuesday’s launch of the new Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy at the U.S. State Department:

This week’s announcement of a new Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy is a thoughtful step in advancing and strengthening global health security, particularly through investments in pandemic preparedness, health systems across the globe, and our continued commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS crisis.

We have learned all too often that health threats anywhere can quickly land on our shores, impacting our health security, as well as our economic and security interests at home. Elevating and modernizing our capacity to detect, protect, and respond to global health threats, including known and future infectious diseases, is simply in our national interests.

Last year, on World AIDS Day, USGLC honored President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush for their extraordinary leadership in launching PEPFAR – one of, if not the most, successful foreign assistance programs ever – that not only saved over 25 million lives from HIV/AIDS, but also built stronger partnerships and strengthened local health systems. This new bureau should elevate the PEPFAR platform and build on its unprecedented success, especially under the leadership of Dr. John Nkengasong in coordinating our ability to respond to infectious diseases.

We welcome the bipartisan leadership and support from Capitol Hill that was helpful in establishing this Bureau. While there are always challenges, by integrating our global health diplomacy and investments into our national security planning, America will be better equipped to lead our partners in preventing future global health threats that claim lives, destabilize regions, harm economies, and threaten our security at home and abroad.

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