The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Generally Achieved Its Main Goals Related to Certain HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment, and Care Activities Under the Partnership Framework in Ethiopia

Through its Global HIV/AIDS Program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), working with ministries of health and other in-country partners to combat HIV/AIDS by strengthening health systems and building sustainable HIV/AIDS programs in more than 75 countries. CDC funded these activities to help achieve its goals established under the Partnership Framework. The Partnership Framework is a 5-year plan responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and is a collaboration between the U.S. Government and the governments of countries receiving PEPFAR funds.

CDC generally achieved its main goals related to certain HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care activities under the Partnership Framework and collaborated with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to reduce PEPFAR redundancies in Ethiopia. Additionally, CDC effectively collaborated with USAID to reduce PEPFAR redundancies in Ethiopia by separating responsibilities: USAID would focus on community and most at-risk population prevention activities, and CDC would focus on facility-based prevention activities including biomedical and blood safety programs, as well as treatment and care programs.

CDC did not achieve all of its main goals because (1) the country operational plan (COP) included performance measures for laboratories that were pass/fail and did not recognize incremental progress toward international accreditation, (2) the COP included some performance measures with targets set above realistic levels, (3) grantees experienced problems that postponed or delayed planned progress or resulted in partial reporting, and (4) CDC could not make updates or corrections to the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator's (OGAC) Foreign Assistance Coordination and Tracking System (FACTS Info).

We recommended that CDC (1) implement a system to recognize incremental progress toward laboratory accreditation, (2) work with OGAC to improve target setting for performance measures, (3) work with the grantees to overcome obstacles to meet the COP's performance measures, and (4) work with OGAC to allow for updates and corrections to FACTS Info. CDC officials concurred with our recommendations and described corrective actions they had taken or planned to take.