Amicus Curiae Brief : Open Society Institute v. United States Agency for International Development

The Open Society Institute (OSI) and DKT International have recently initiated two separate but similar lawsuits against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) regarding the so-called “anti-prostitution pledge” in legislation governing receipt of U.S. funds in the public health arena. The United States Leadership against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 requires that NGOs adopt agency-wide policies opposing prostitution as a condition of receiving U.S. anti-AIDS funds. Amici argue that this requirement jeopardizes their ability to combat HIV/AIDS in high-risk communities and clashes with internationally-recognized best practices and human rights standards. The brief was filed in Open Society Institute v. USAID on November 9, 2005 and in DKT International v. USAID on November 15, 2005.