There are persistent problems, most significantly the limited progress in preventing new HIV infections and the enduring challenges of overcoming South Africa’s skills and management deficits. But there is much for which Americans and South Africans should be very proud.
The story unfolding today is of a delicate, complex transition in lead responsibilities ‘ from the United States to South Africa — that is highly fraught with risks.
I and several colleagues visited South Africa in August to examine this change in Pretoria, Johannesburg and KwaZulu Natal, the latter province the epicenter of the global HIV and TB epidemics. Our core conclusion: special care and determined U.S. and South African commitment are essential to ensure a workable transition and avoid a costly mess. If the United States stays the course, preserves momentum and manages in a disciplined way the multiple tough pressures that are emerging, it can build a model of foreign assistance success. The stakes are considerable, both for U.S. foreign policy and U.S. global health engagement. South Africa matters significantly to U.S. national interests, and the U.S. health investment in South Africa is the centerpiece of the US bilateral relationship and is the single largest U.S. commitment of its kind anywhere in the world. The outcomes in South Africa in the coming few years will matter to U.S. health engagement across many other key partner countries.
Read more here.
J. Stephen Morrison is Senior Vice President, CSIS & Director, Global Health Policy Center at CSIS
