Integrating HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health: U.S. Foreign Policy

HIV was responsible for approximately 60,000 maternal deaths in 2009. Despite the overlap of HIV/AIDS issues with reproductive rights and maternal health concerns, U.S. global AIDS programs have largely operated independently of family planning and other reproductive health programs. In the last few years, some – including officials at USAID and the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) – have attempted to reduce the negative impact of these funding silos by promoting integration of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health programs, and there have been some important successes. However, overall integration efforts have operated from a default position of not integrating: i.e. “where does it make sense to integrate efforts?” instead of “where does it make sense to separate efforts?”

For more information on the U.S. government's approach to integrating HIV/AIDS and family planning, see USAID's report Family Planning–Integrated HIV Services: A Framework for Integrating Family Planning and Antiretroviral Therapy Services

Anna Inguru, director, TiPlus, Nairobi, on integrated services for youth living with HIV:

"What we are trying to do with (HIV + youths) is basically to tell them about 1) the reproductive health and 2) family planning options and 3) couple testing. This way, even if they have dropped out of school, for a myriad of reasons, so many reasons, at least they are able to come and we are able to educate them such that they can be able to make informed decisions, like delaying early pregnancies or unwanted pregnancies, because (that) will now even complicate their HIV treatment even further."

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