Global funding cuts devastating HIV prevention programmes, UNAIDS says
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UNAIDS’ community partners have reported deaths of people living with HIV due to the shuttering of local clinics and treatment.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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GENEVA - People living with HIV have died due to service disruptions caused by major funding cuts, while millions of people at risk of contracting HIV have lost access to prevention tools, a new report from UNAIDS said on Nov 25.
“Persistent funding shortfalls and the perilous risks facing the global HIV response are having profound, lasting effects on the health and well-being of millions of people throughout the world,” the report by the United Nations agency focusing on the HIV/AIDS pandemic stated.
UNAIDS’ community partners have reported deaths of people living with HIV due to the shuttering of local clinics and treatment, although the exact number remains unclear as data collection is ongoing.
The global AIDS response entered “crisis mode” when the largest donor, the United States – which accounted for 75 per cent of international HIV funding – temporarily halted all HIV-related funding earlier in 2025, UNAIDS said.
Though some HIV programmes have since resumed with funds from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), overall funding continues to decline, jeopardising 2030 targets to end acquired immune deficiency syndrome as a public health threat, UNAIDS said.
Currently, 40.8 million people are living with HIV, with 1.3 million new infections reported in 2024, according to the UN agency.
While AIDS-related deaths fell 54 per cent to 630,000 between 2010 and 2024, and new HIV infections also dropped by 54 per cent, prevention services have been “devastated” by limited domestic funding and sharp reductions in donor contributions, the report found.
Nearly half of women and adolescent girls surveyed reported disruptions to HIV prevention and treatment services in their communities, according to a survey conducted in 2025 by the ATHENA Network and UNAIDS.
Access to HIV prevention tools has also been curtailed.
An estimated 2.5 million people lost access to the PrEP preventative HIV medication as at October 2025 due to donor funding cuts, the report said.
In Nigeria, the distribution of male condoms fell by 55 per cent from December 2024 to March 2025. REUTERS
