Harare, Zimbabwe – The Government of Zimbabwe has communicated its decision to withdraw from negotiations on a proposed bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States.
This MOU would have provided
$367 million over five years to support Zimbabwe’s priority health programs,
including HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and
child health, and disease outbreak preparedness.
“We believe this collaboration
would have delivered extraordinary benefits for Zimbabwean communities—
especially the 1.2 million men, women, and children currently receiving HIV
treatment through U.S.-supported programs,” said U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe
Pamela Tremont.
“We will now turn to the difficult and regrettable task of winding
down our health assistance in Zimbabwe.”
The proposed MOU represented the largest potential health investment in
Zimbabwe by any international funder and was built on a co-funding model
designed to ensure sustainability and a path toward self-reliance.
The MOU asked Zimbabwe to gradually increase its own health funding alongside U.S. support, building on more than $1.9 billion in U.S. health support to Zimbabwe since 2006
that is directly responsible for Zimbabwe reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals.
Sixteen African countries have so far signed health collaboration MOUs with the United States, which represents over $18.3 billion in new health funding including more than $11.2 billion in U.S. assistance alongside $7.1 billion in co-investment from recipient countries.
“The United States has a responsibility to American taxpayers to invest their
resources where mutual accountability, transparency, and shared commitment are assured,” Ambassador Tremont noted.
“These MOUs set a higher standard for
bilateral health cooperation—one that prioritizes sustainability, measurable
outcomes, and shared ownership of results. The Government of Zimbabwe has assured us it is prepared to sustain the fight against HIV/AIDS, and we wish them
well.”
The United States Regrets Government of Zimbabwe Decision on Health Assistance to Zimbabwe
Donald Trump, the US President who has been putting tariffs on goods imported into his country.