Policy Paper to Mitigate the Spread of COVID-19

*Due to COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 SOL projects were conducted virtually.

This summer I am a Policy Intern at Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria advocates for U.S. support and investment in the Global Fund and other health programs by engaging with U.S. policymakers, connecting with key stakeholders, and educating the broader community about improving global health. The COVID-19 pandemic presents serious threats to progress made in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria—specifically, analyses from Imperial College, UNAIDS, the Stop TB Partnership, WHO, and others suggest that the annual death tolls of these three diseases could nearly double due to consequences of COVID-19. As a result, Friends has shifted gears to directly recognize COVID-19 as a leading global health threat. Friends is actively involved in actions to mitigate the spread and effects of COVID-19 and is currently focused on boosting U.S. investment in a global response to the virus.

During my internship, I have been engaged in a variety of tasks including attending and creating memos on weekly virtual Congressional hearings on the impacts of COVID-19 and necessary responses. I also frequently join webinars hosted by Global organizations such as Devex and FHI 360. Other projects I have worked on include drafting policy recommendations to urge U.S. global health funding, tracking pertinent legislation in Congress, researching COVID-19’s specific impacts on key populations such as on adolescent girls and young women, and writing about human rights violations across the world occurring because of the pandemic. Through my work I feel fortunate to grow my own perspective on and knowledge of global health advocacy during such unprecedented times of disease outbreak.