UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima stated, “There is no doubt that this is the biggest disruption to the HIV response since the beginning of the global fight against the epidemic.” In Sub-Saharan Africa, 3,000 adolescent girls and young women are contracting HIV every week. Byanyima added, “Funding cuts, shrinking civic space, and increased criminalization of marginalized populations have created the perfect storm for the HIV response.” UNAIDS findings indicate that people are losing access to treatment, and the virus continues to spread.
Global Aid Sees Sharp Decline
Key findings from the Global AIDS brief – United to end AIDS report include:
- Global development assistance from multiple countries dropped to a record low of 23% in 2025.
- HIV programs have been severely impacted, with testing programs in high-burden regions decreasing by 22% between 2024-2025.
- In some instances, funding for condoms has been cut by over 90%.
- Two more countries enacted laws criminalizing same-sex relations in 2025, and one country increased penalties in 2026.
- The use of PrEP, a daily medication to prevent HIV, decreased by 38% between 2024-2025 in 62 countries that reported to UNAIDS.
Rights Rollback, Prevention and Care Undermined
The report reveals a dangerous rollback in rights for the first time since UNAIDS began tracking these trends, marked by increased criminalization of marginalized populations. Furthermore, HIV prevention efforts are being dismantled at a time when the world should be scaling up preventive measures, especially with new, revolutionary long-acting prevention innovations entering the market. The report notes that prevention is already underfunded, accounting for only 11% of total HIV spending, and this limited investment is shrinking further with no indication of domestic funding closing this gap.
Fragile Gains
The HIV response has been one of the most successful stories in global health over the last 25 years:
- AIDS-related deaths fell by 56%, from 1.3 million in 2010 to 570,000 in 2025.
- New infections dropped by 43% since 2010, reaching 1.2 million.
- Of the 40.9 million people living with HIV, 78% are on treatment.
However, these gains are fragile. Nearly nine million people are not on treatment. With dwindling external funding, treatment gains are also highly vulnerable.
Uneven Progress Amidst Funding Cuts
A recent study involving 47 countries and 79 community-led organizations across three continents (Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Africa) showed:
- A 50% reduction in community support services for people living with HIV.
- An 82% decrease in services for sex workers.
- Cuts of 85% in services for gay men.
According to UNAIDS, when communities lose funding, the entire response loses access, trust, and effectiveness. The agency also reported uneven progress, with increasing infections in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America.
Byanyima questioned, “We know how to end AIDS. The issue now is political: will we invest or will we retreat?”
Ending AIDS by 2030 is Possible
At the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS on June 22-23, countries will adopt a new political declaration aimed at ending AIDS in the next five years. The new declaration will incorporate new 2030 targets from the Global AIDS Strategy. Overall goals include providing access to antiretroviral therapy for 40 million people by 2030, ensuring 20 million people have access to HIV prevention medicines, and ensuring all people receive services free from stigma and discrimination. The UNAIDS chief stated, “If we follow the Global AIDS Strategy and if UN Member States are determined to adopt a strong political declaration guiding the response for the next five years, we can end AIDS by 2030. However, if we fail to act, we risk reversing decades of hard-won progress.”
