WASHINGTON — The ONE Campaign, the anti-poverty and global health organization co-founded by Bono, lead singer of U2, issued the below statement today welcoming the nomination of Dr. John Nkengasong to lead the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The nomination of Dr. Nkengasong comes at a critical moment in the fight against AIDS, which has been adversely impacted by COVID-19. Compared with 2019, fewer people sought testing for HIV in 2020 and the number of people who opted for HIV prevention services dropped. 

Tom Hart, Acting CEO at ONE:

“Even before COVID-19 swept the planet, AIDS was still a crisis. The nomination of Dr. John Nkengasong to lead PEPFAR is a big win for global health and a major blow to the AIDS virus. In these challenging times, it’s critical that PEPFAR has a strong leader at the helm who can provide the vision, expertise, and execution needed to combat the global AIDS crisis, which claims nearly 700,000 lives annually. Dr. Nkengasong is that leader.

“ONE looks forward to working with Dr. Nkengasong to support his confirmation and ensure PEPFAR has the tools it needs to eradicate the global AIDS epidemic once and for all.”