Thomas
“Tommy” Pigott, Principal Deputy
Spokesperson
February 27,
2026
Today, the United States signed bilateral health
cooperation Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the
Republic of Guatemala, the Republic of Guinea, and the
Republic of El Salvador, advancing the Trump
Administration’s America First Global Health Strategy
across two continents. These MOUs establish frameworks for
sustainable, country-led health systems while strengthening
disease detection and response capabilities that protect
both partner nations and American communities from emerging
health threats.
In Guatemala, the Department of State,
working with Congress, intends to provide nearly $60
million, while Guatemala will invest $1.6 million in new
domestic expenditures through this MOU. The MOU also
establishes a robust surveillance, laboratory, and outbreak
response system capable of detecting infectious disease
outbreaks within seven days, notifying international
authorities within one day, and implementing response
actions within seven days—protecting both Guatemalan and
American populations from regional health threats.
The
United States and the Republic of Guinea signed a five-year
$142 million bilateral health cooperation MOU that
establishes a clear transition toward Guinea’s independent
health system management by 2030. The Department of State,
working with Congress, intends to provide over $91 million
to support malaria, polio eradication, and global health
security programming, while Guinea commits to co-invest over
$51 million. The partnership prioritizes strengthening
Guinea’s laboratory networks with biosafety and
biosecurity management aligned with international standards
by 2027, enhanced malaria surveillance through laboratory
quality control and epidemiological investigations, and
explicit skills transfer to national collaborators for
sustainable capacity.
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In the Republic of El Salvador,
the Department of State, working with Congress, intends to
provide up to nearly $31.9 million over the next five years
to support El Salvador’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and
bolster disease surveillance and outbreak response
capabilities. El Salvador commits to increasing its domestic
health expenditures by over $19.7 million, demonstrating its
commitment to greater national ownership of its health
system. As part of the nearly $31.9 million U.S. investment,
$7.9 million will be allocated to Global Health Security
initiatives. This includes strengthening disease
surveillance capabilities and ensuring El Salvador has the
tools to quickly respond to and contain outbreak threats
before they spread.
America
First Global Health Strategy Memoranda of Understanding
(MOUs) signed so far represent more than $20.2
billion in new health funding including more than $12.5
billion in U.S. assistance alongside $7.7 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 February
27, the State Department has signed 24 bilateral global
health MOUs with Botswana, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia,
Guatemala, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Rwanda, Sierra
Leone, and
Uganda.
