US Global Health Strategy

LAST YEAR, PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNED A POLICY DIRECtive on global development, the first by a US president. It provides a common framework for the US government, emphasizing economic growth as “the only sustainable way to accelerate development and eradicate poverty.” Its health pillar is the $63 billion Global Health Initiative, launched in 2009. The initiative builds on existing programs, such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and increases support for maternal and child health, family planning, and nutrition programs. The initiative targets problems that impede development in the poorest countries. But even there, new health threats are arising with economic growth. The United States needs a new, forward-looking global health strategy that sustains progress against traditional priorities while confronting emerging impediments to global development.