Washington, United States – The United Nations agency for combating AIDS warned that the world faces a real risk of a resurgence of the HIV epidemic, after global funding saw a significant decline of about one-fifth during the past year, threatening decades of health achievements.
The repercussions of US policies and declining funding
It is worth noting that Washington previously accounted for about 75 percent of the total international funding allocated to combat HIV, prior to President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025. In that month, Trump issued an order to temporarily halt all HIV-related funding, before life-saving work resumed a few days later, although most efforts to prevent and reduce the spread of the virus were curtailed.
A report issued by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), released at the start of an international AIDS conference in Brazil, stated: “The international community has entered a period of profound political and financial turmoil that threatens decades of hard-won gains in the fight against HIV.” The report further warned: “Without renewed commitment and concerted action, the world faces the risk of a resurgence of the HIV epidemic.”
Alarming figures and an unprecedented decline
The report stated that total global funding fell by 18% to $7.3 billion in 2025, the lowest level in nearly two decades. It emphasized that this alarming financial decline threatens to undo the progress made in reducing new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, which had reached their lowest point in over 30 years.
The report added in this context: “The current fragility of the HIV response puts these gains at risk unless global solidarity is restored and existing inequalities are addressed.” It also reiterated that the ambitious global goal of ending AIDS by 2030 is faltering, noting that declining funding, coupled with other health crises such as the Ebola epidemic, is hindering international efforts, with nearly 1.2 million people infected with HIV last year alone.
Uneven domestic spending and its impact on Africa
However, the data indicated that the impact of reduced foreign funding for HIV/AIDS relief was partially offset by increased domestic spending in some countries. The UN program report explained that this ultimately resulted in an overall decrease of only 6% in total resources allocated to combating HIV/AIDS last year.
However, it should be noted that not all governments were able to intervene and close the gap; sub-Saharan Africa, which alone accounts for about half of new global COVID-19 infections, experienced some of the sharpest declines in spending on prevention programs. National data from Cameroon, Nigeria, and Zambia showed a drop of more than 50% in the number of people receiving pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
The report concluded by warning that: “Disruptions in HIV funding have severely and profoundly impacted prevention programs, laboratory testing, and key components of treatment programs, such as the community-led suite of services that typically reach those most affected by the virus.”
