Scribd

Statement of Craig Minassian, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Clinton

Foundation, to The Hill.

“By 2006, President Clinton and the Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS initiative already had transformed the world’s approach to HIV/AIDS, saving

millions of lives in developing countries. Many governments and non-governmental organizations who shared that goal partnered with the Clinton Foundation because of that groundbreaking work, and the millions more people whose lives have been improved since

then are testament to the power of that enduring cooperation.”

Facts and Figures from the Clinton Foundation about its AIDS work in Asia:



The Australian government approached CHAI about helping scale up its AIDS treatment work in Papua New Guinea. In 2006 alone, according to a government report, the Australian

government spent more than $300 million on their efforts in Papua New Guinea. Like most bilateral donors, to fulfill its commitment they needed partners and very few organizations had the success in the area that the Clinton Foundation had.



Officials

responsible for AusAID’s AIDS response approached the Clinton Fou

ndation at a

global AIDS meeting in New York, after learning about the organization’s impact from

supporters and Southeast Asian governments where the then Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) worked then. After that, the Australian government then contacted CHAI. CHAI drafted a proposal, and Australia accepted it.



The Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian government and the Clinton Foundation, signed by the Australian Foreign Minister and President Clinton, was a voluntary agreement and not a contract. Rather it was a statement in favor of cooperation

—

of tackling what was then, and continues to be today, a pressing issue.



It is important to note what the donation in question directly improved and saved lives.

Because of CHAI’s work in Papu

a New Guinea:

o

Transmission of HIV from mothers to infants has been reduced by 75% across all CHAI sites since 2007;

o

Due to CHAI’s pediatrics work, the number of children on treatment for HIV has

increased from less than 200 in 2007 to over 1000 in 2013, with 89% survival rate. CHAI also trains and provides clinical mentoring to all pediatric ARV prescribers in PNG; and

o

Before CHAI’s Rural Initiative in PNG, there were no district level services available

for HIV positive patients; now there is a nearly a nearly 85% long-term survival among HIV positive patients.



The $25 million was not a one-time donation, but rather funding for work which spanned

several years. It’s also worth noting that the $25 million was a small part of the approximately

$2 billion

a year that Australia dedicates to development assistance. In a nutshell, it’s a

shining example of how development should work.



Finally, regarding the review (or audit, as you refer to it). It was no more and no less than standard practice

—

a process stipulated by most bilateral donors. Most MOUs, in fact, make an audit a condition of a donation -- either at mid-point or end, to determine whether the work is effective. And the audit

—

launched by a subsequent administration

—

found that the

Clinton Foundation’s work was making “excellent progress.” From the audit report itself: “It is

the view of the ET that the project is progressing well, and toward a sustainable situation. At this stage it is too early to know how successful sustainability will be, and donor funding will be required for some years yet. Given the excellent progress that is being made, and the obvious commitment of GoPNG to make this work, it would be unfortunate if funding were not continued.