For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 3, 2003
Joint Statement Between the U.S. and the Netherlands
President Bush and Prime Minister Balkenende today agreed that progress in fighting the global tragedy of HIV/AIDS requires more and
better coordination among donor and recipient governments,
international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and
the private sector.
The United States and the Netherlands therefore agree to cooperate
on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care in countries in which both
the United States and the Netherlands have significant activities,
including countries that will receive special focus in the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The plan will start in Rwanda and
Ghana and may expand to Zambia, Ethiopia, and possibly Sudan once a
peace agreement is signed.
The cooperation agreement will highlight political leadership and
public-private partnerships, which are a focus of both the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Netherlands 2003 AIDS Action
Plan.
This cooperation agreement is the first step of a joint initiative
in which the United States and the Netherlands will seek to coordinate
HIV/AIDS activities, strategies, and programs in African countries.
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