Implementing the Trump Administration’s America First Global Health Strategy in South Sudan

On June 25, the United States and South Sudan’s Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) signed a three-year bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) through the Trump Administration’s America First Global Health Strategy, advancing our global fight against infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and other emerging health threats.

Working with Congress, the Department of State intends to provide more than $146 million to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in South Sudan. The RTGoNU in South Sudan will invest nearly $20 million in South Sudanese health systems. Through this more than $166 million MOU, the RTGoNU has committed to using its own public revenue to fund essential services including clinical care and managing self-sufficient health systems to address health security threats and partner with the United States in addressing global health crises. This MOU secures mutual accountability from the RTGoNU through jointly decided provisions, including paying its health sector workers’ salaries, maintaining infrastructure such as cold chain systems for vaccine storage, and transparent reporting.

Through the Trump Administration’s America First Global Health Strategy, the United States has finally secured a more accountable foreign assistance global health model with South Sudan, ensuring U.S. foreign assistance reaches its intended recipients. The Department will ensure accountability to the American taxpayer by evaluating success through jointly decided metrics. This MOU also strengthens timely outbreak detection and response for potential infectious disease outbreaks within seven days of emergence and establishes the framework to contain diseases that could threaten the health, safety, and prosperity of the American and South Sudanese people. This MOU is especially timely given the current threats posed by the Ebola outbreak in the region.

America First Global Health Strategy Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) signed so far represent more than $20.8 billion in new health funding, including more than $12.9 billion in U.S. assistance alongside more than $7.8 billion in co-investment from recipient countries, building on decades of progress fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases around the world. As of June 27, the State Department has signed 33 bilateral global health MOUs with Angola, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tajikistan, and Uganda.