Global HIV response at risk as funding cuts raise fears of epidemic resurgence

Reductions in international funding and cuts to HIV prevention and community services are likely to lead to a resurgence of the HIV epidemic, according to a new UNAIDS report released ahead of the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro.

The report says that although new HIV infections and AIDS related deaths are at their lowest levels in more than 30 years, the global HIV response is now "extremely fragile". Efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 are at risk unless global solidarity is restored and inequalities are addressed.

In 2025, 1.2 million people acquired HIV, while 570,000 people died of AIDS related illnesses as the world fell short of global targets. Without urgent action to meet the 2030 goals, more than three million people could become infected with HIV by 2030.

Progress remains uneven. New HIV infections increased in three regions and 21 countries in 2025. Around nine million of the 41 million people living with HIV were not on treatment and almost half of all children living with HIV did not have access to antiretroviral therapy.

At the same time, seven countries achieved an almost 80 per cent reduction in new HIV infections since 2010, while 11 countries reached the 95 95 95 treatment targets, showing that progress is possible.

The report highlights major advances in HIV prevention, with monthly and six monthly injectable medicines offering close to vaccine like protection against HIV beginning to reach the market. However, it says the challenge remains scaling up access and ensuring equitable availability. Current efforts aim to reach three million people with lenacapavir by 2028, while UNAIDS estimates that around 20 million people need access to antiretroviral based prevention to have a real impact on stopping new HIV infections.

The report also points to a sharp decline in international financing. Global development assistance fell by 23 per cent in 2025, the steepest drop on record, with HIV programmes among those hardest hit. International financing for HIV declined from US$8.8 billion in 2024 to US$7.3 billion in 2025, the lowest level in nearly two decades.

Without stronger domestic investment and renewed international support, HIV prevention and community led HIV service delivery risk total collapse. Funding for condoms has been cut by more than 90 per cent in some countries, while community led services have been sharply reduced across several populations most affected by HIV.

The report also highlights growing setbacks in human rights, noting that criminalization of marginalized populations increased for the first time since UNAIDS began tracking these trends. It says such laws continue to undermine access to HIV services.

Despite these challenges, the report says ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 remains within reach. In June 2026, 149 Member States adopted a Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS aligned with the UNAIDS Global AIDS Strategy 2026 to 2031. If fully implemented, the commitments could avert an additional 3.2 million new HIV infections and 1.3 million AIDS related deaths by 2030.

Read the document here

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