The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS has reported that several low-income nations, which have suffered from reductions in funding for HIV prevention and treatment from donors, have increased their domestic spending in response. However, this increase is insufficient to offset the significant loss in personnel and a drop in the use of preventive medications.
In its annual report for 2025, the programme warned that persistent cuts made during Donald Trump’s presidency to the U.S. HIV programme could result in an additional six million infections and nearly four million deaths by 2029.
The unexpected reduction in funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief caused significant disruptions in the global response to the crisis.
The report titled “HIV/AIDS: Crisis and Capacity for Change” revealed that around 25 out of 60 low- and middle-income countries indicated increases in their local budgets for HIV responses in 2026. However, the programme cautioned that this encouraging development is “not enough to substitute for international funding in countries that rely heavily on it.”
Despite notable advancements in addressing HIV by 2024, a large and sudden funding shortfall this year has resulted in widespread disruptions in health systems and cuts to front-line healthcare worker numbers, jeopardizing HIV prevention programs and treatment services, according to the report.
Winnie Byanyima, the programme’s executive director, stated, “This isn’t just a funding gap; it’s a ticking time bomb. Services have disappeared overnight. Healthcare workers have been sent home, forcing people, especially children and key population groups, out of care.”
Even before the widespread service interruptions, data reported for 2024 indicated that 9.2 million people living with HIV could not access life-saving treatment, including 620,000 children under the age of fourteen, contributing to 75,000 AIDS-related deaths among children.
According to the report, 630,000 individuals died from AIDS-related illnesses, with 61% of those deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, over 210,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24 contracted HIV in 2024, translating to an alarming rate of 570 new infections daily.
The report also highlighted the emergence of unprecedented and highly effective preventive tools, such as long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis, including lenacapavir, which has demonstrated nearly complete efficacy in clinical trials. Nevertheless, affordability and accessibility remain significant challenges.
In this context, Byanyima asserted, “There is still time to turn this crisis into an opportunity. Countries are ramping up domestic financing, and local communities are showing what works. We now need global solidarity that matches their courage and resilience.”
The Global AIDS Update 2025 urged the international community to urgently close the funding gap, support nations in bridging remaining gaps in HIV prevention and treatment services, eliminate legal and social barriers, and empower local communities to lead the way forward.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS emphasized that “every dollar invested in the response not only saves lives but also strengthens health systems and enhances broader development goals.”
Since the onset of the AIDS pandemic, an estimated 26.9 million lives have been saved through treatment, and 4.4 million children have been protected from HIV infection due to effective prevention of vertical transmission.