The Honorable Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C St, NW
Washington, DC 20520
January 27, 2009
Dear Secretary Clinton,
As you know, US assistance on AIDS is unique in terms of scale and accomplishment. Its connectedness with a complex array of other actors both within U.S. development assistance and with among other bilateral donors and multilateral agencies mean that the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator is a singularly important appointment.
Therefore we are writing to you as representatives of the AIDS community to request that, instead of immediately moving to fill the position vacated by Ambassador Mark Dybul, you instead pursue a innovative, competitive, merit based process for selection of the next head of OGAC. In an expedited manner, we recommend you convene a multi-stakeholder committee comprising US government representatives, implementers and civil society, to identify top candidates for the position. This selection committee could consider a range of critical qualifications, for example, experience implementing HIV prevention and treatment programs and a demonstrated commitment to involving affected communities, including people with HIV, at all levels of program activity.
This committee would work with your office in determining the next OGAC Director. Through such a process, the Administration would back up its refreshing commitment to openness, transparency, and change with concrete action. As you know, this is the manner in which NIH selected the first and second directors of the Office of AIDS Research (OAR), after the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993.
Harold Varmus convened a search committee who reviewed candidates and who selected Bill Paul (in 1994) and later Neal Nathanson (in 1998). We are confident you could convene a search committee in less than two weeks and that by March that committee could recommend a candidate or candidates to your office.
Sincerely,
ACT UP New York
ACT UP Paris
ACT UP Philadelphia
ActionAid International Uganda
Africa Action
African Civil Society Coalition on HIV/AIDS
African Council of AIDS Service Organizations (AfriCASO)
Aid for AIDS International
AIDS Action Baltimore
AIDS Action Europe
AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA)
AIDS Treatment News
American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
American Medical Students Association (AMSA)
Americans for Informed Democracy (AID)
Asian Pacific Council for AIDS Service Organizations (APCASO)
Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (ASWHAN)
Beijing Aizhixing Institute, China
Buds of Christ, India
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition
Centre for Health Policy and Innovation, Canada
Child Foundation of India
Christian Relief and Development Association, Ethiopia
CEJES-Cameroon
Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), Philadelphia
Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS
Coalition PLUS
Communication for Development Centre, Nigeria
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP)
Community Initiative for Tuberculosis, HIV and Malaria, Zambia
Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS/TB Epidemic (CREATE), Baltimore
Consultative Group on Early Childcare and Development in Canada
DC Fights Back
European AIDS Treatment Group
Family Care International
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR)
François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) USA
Fundación Nimehuatzin - Nicaragua
Georgetown Medical AIDS Advocacy Network (GMAAN)
Gestos- Soropositividade, Comunicação e Gênero, Brazil
Global Action for Children
Global AIDS Alliance
Global Health Advocates
God's House International, Sierra Leone
Goodwill Aid, Ghana
Gram Bharati Samiti (GBS), India
Harvard Global Health and AIDS Coalition
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
HIV/AIDS Task Force, Ohio
Hope Care Foundation, Ghana
Horizons Femmes, Cameroon
Ikonzo Musanda Self Help Group, Kenya
International Civil Society Support, The Netherlands
International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS, East Africa &
HIV Collaborative Fund for Women & Families in Africa
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)
International Federation of Medical Students Association
Intersect Worldwide, India
Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS), Nigeria
Kenya AIDS Intervention Prevention Project Group
Kenya Youth Programme
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Latin American and the Caribbean Council of AIDS Service Organizations (LACCASO)
LitWorld
Mercy Investment Program
Misbah, India
MOPGEL
Mutifaith Development and Research Centre, Kenya
Network of People Living with HIV, Ghana
New York City AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN)
NextAid
Ohioma Foundation for Development (OFUD)
Partners in Population and Development, Bangladesh
Pittsburgh Student Global AIDS Project (Pitt SGAP)
Positive Life Association of Nigeria (PLAN)
Positive Women Empowerment Response (POWER), Nigeria
Prevention Project Group
Proyecto Sol Filadelphia
Reach Out NGO, Cameroon
RESULTS
SisterLove
SPURTHI, India
Street Works
Strength for All, Ghana
Student Global AIDS Campaign
Swedish Cooperative Centre, Kenya
The Health Equity Project
The Vineeta Foundation
Treatment Action Group (TAG)
Treatment Action Movement, Nigeria
Ukimwi Orphans Assistance
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Universities Allies for Essential Medicines
Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, U.S. Province
Vermont Global Health Coalition
Viva AIDS Forum
Wemos International, The Netherlands
Who's Positive
cc: Senator John Kerry, Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Richard G. Lugar
Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff
Melody Barnes, White House Director of Domestic Policy
Dr. Susan E. Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Tina Chen, Director, Office of Public Liaison
Denis McDonough, Foreign Policy Advisor