President George W. Bush Receives 'International Medal of PEACE' That Coincides With PEPFAR Milestone on World...(challenges is to make sure that American...),Health

"PEPFAR is a part of a comprehensive strategy to deal with AIDS both at home and abroad," President Bush continued. "The intention of PEPFAR was never to pirate money away from a domestic program but the intention of PEPFAR is to build on what we have learned at home."

One of the ways the Bushes plan to help Americans understand this is by continuing their work after leaving the White House, particularly through a new Freedom Institute in partnership with Southern Methodist University, the alma mater of Mrs. Bush. President and Mrs. Bush also discussed the importance of continued funding for PEPFAR -- even in this difficult economy -- because of its cascading effect on other great needs around the world. One focus was the link between HIV/AIDS and President Bush's African Education Literacy program.

Prior to the awarding of the "International Medal of PEACE" at the conclusion of the program, video tributes to President Bush were shown from United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki Moon; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Bono, musical artist and humanitarian activist; philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates; and Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of The Global Fund.

After the award presentation, a special message from President-elect Barack Obama was shown, during which he congratulated President Bush for his accomplishments with HIV/AIDS and addressed the future of global health.

"This epidemic can't be stopped by government alone, and money alone is not the answer either," said President-elect Obama. "All of us must do our part... We as leaders must continue to sound that call and encourage others to see themselves as leaders in this fight -- and we must reaffirm our
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