HIV Policy Advancements in PEPFAR Partner countries: a review of data from 2010–2016

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to describe and analyse progress with domestic HIV-related policies in PEPFAR partner countries, utilising data collected as part of PEPFAR’s routine annual program reporting from U.S. government fiscal years 2010 through 2016.

402 policies were monitored for one or more years across more than 50 countries using the PEPFAR policy tracking tool across five policy process stages: 1. Problem identification, 2. Policy development, 3. Policy endorsement, 4. Policy implementation, and 5. Policy evaluation. This included 219 policies that were adopted and implemented by partner governments, many in Africa. Policies were tracked across a wide variety of subject matter areas, with HIV Testing and Treatment being the most common. Our review also illustrates challenges with policy reform using varied, national examples. Challenges include the length of time (often years) it may take to reform policies, local customs that may differ from policy goals, and insufficient public funding for policy implementation.

Limitations included incomplete data, variability in the amount of data provided due to partial reliance on open-ended text boxes, and data that reflect the viewpoints of submitting PEPFAR country teams.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• policy
• law
• PEPFAR

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The findings and conclusions of this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the United States Agency for International Development.