The UNAID chief, Ms Byanyima has cautioned that the US funding cuts will lead to an additional 2,000 new HIV infections each day and over six million further deaths over the next four years.
The global fight against HIV could face a significant setback, reversing years of progress. The number of deaths from the disease has dropped dramatically, from over two million in 2004 to 600,000 in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.
UNAids Executive Director Winnie Byanyima condemned the US government’s decision to suspend foreign aid, including funding for HIV programs, stressing that the decision was already having disastrous effects. She called for an immediate reversal of these cuts, particularly highlighting the disproportionate impact on women and girls.
On his first day in office in January, US President Donald Trump announced a temporary 90-day halt to foreign aid as part of a review of government spending. Since then, the majority of US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs have been terminated.
Many HIV treatment and prevention programs funded by the US have been halted, resulting in the closure of mother-and-child clinics across Africa and severe shortages of lifesaving antiretroviral (ARV) medications.
Ms. Byanyima expressed concern that the situation could regress to the 1990s, when HIV treatment was scarce in poorer nations, leading to a sharp rise in infections and deaths.
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For years, the US has been the largest funder of HIV treatment and prevention, and Ms. Byanyima acknowledged Washington’s generosity and compassion. While she stated that it was “reasonable” for the US to gradually reduce its funding, she warned that the abrupt withdrawal of vital support was having a devastating effect.
Despite widespread appeals, there is no indication that the US will reverse its decision. Meanwhile, traditional aid donors in Europe are also planning cuts, and UNAids has yet to see any signs that other countries will step in to fill the funding gap left by the US.
In Geneva, Ms. Byanyima shared the story of Juliana, a young woman in Kenya living with HIV. Juliana had worked for a US-funded program that helped new mothers access treatment to prevent their babies from contracting the virus. With the program now suspended, Juliana not only lost her job but also feared losing access to the treatment she needs while breastfeeding her youngest child.
The World Health Organization (WHO) previously warned that eight countries—Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Haiti, and Ukraine—could soon run out of HIV drugs due to the US funding pause. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that disruptions to HIV programs “could undo 20 years of progress.”
In February, South Africa’s leading Aids advocacy group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), warned that the country could regress to a time when HIV patients struggled to access essential services. TAC chair Sibongile Tshabalala said, “We can’t afford to die, we can’t afford to go back to those years when we were suffering with access to services, especially for people living with HIV treatment.”
Ms. Byanyima also proposed a deal to the Trump administration, suggesting that the US could market a new ARV, Lenacapavir, developed by Gilead, to millions of people. This ARV, administered by injection every six months, could potentially benefit 10 million individuals. She emphasized that the deal would not only provide significant health benefits but also generate profits and create jobs for the US.
UNAids is among several UN agencies facing funding cuts. The UN Refugee Agency has indicated that it may need to cut 6,000 jobs, while Unicef has warned that progress in reducing child mortality is under threat, and the World Food Programme has had to reduce rations in famine-stricken areas.
