PEPFAR confirmed the allocation of USD 118.5 million in funding to Ukraine for 2024-2025

PEPFAR confirmed the allocation of USD 118.5 million to Ukraine to finance services in the field of combating HIV infection in Ukraine for 2024-2025. This was reported by Dr. John N. Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador-at-large and special representative for global health diplomacy, during an online meeting with Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine with Christopher W. Smith, Deputy Head of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.

“I am sincerely grateful to the PEPFAR team for their support and flexibility in their approach to the programs and goals that are being implemented in Ukraine. This is critical to ensuring the continuity of HIV services. Over the years of independence, we have made progress in combating HIV/AIDS. A full-scale war has made its own adjustments, but it has not stopped us from moving forward. We set ourselves ambitious plans and goals that can be realized with the help of international partners. For the first time, the funding period has been extended to 2 years. The amount of funding itself has also been increased. This is great progress. This is the result of long-term work and constructive dialogue, which was initiated in December last year during the visit of the delegation of our Ministry to the United States, and continued in March this year in Warsaw during the joint meeting on planning COP23 PEPFAR for Ukraine and the national dialogue of the Global Fund with civil society, local and international partners and official representatives of the headquarters,” said Viktor Liashko. 

Systematic discussions allowed us to formulate a consolidated vision of joint plans to use these funds in the most effective way to counter the HIV epidemic in Ukraine.

Also, for the first time in history, Ukraine will have access to injectable drugs for HIV prevention. What is meant here is long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA). Now Ukraine will be included in the list of countries where these drugs can be used.