By Matik Kueth
The global battle against HIV is facing a critical moment as international donor support dwindles, hitting the hardest-affected countries the hardest.
The 2025 Global AIDS Update, reported Friday by UNAIDS, paints a stark picture of a deepening financial crisis that could reverse years of life-saving progress, unless nations adopt new strategies for funding and delivering HIV services.
Despite the looming threat, a growing number of countries are rising to the challenge. Among 60 low- and middle-income nations reviewed in the report, 25 plan to boost their domestic HIV funding by 2026.
This demonstrates a commendable display of national leadership and dedication to addressing the epidemic. However, such internal efforts are still not on par with the substantial contributions historically made by global donors.
This year has seen severe disruptions to HIV treatment and prevention programs, largely due to abrupt funding cuts from key international sources, including the U.S. As a result, millions remain without access to essential care.
Even before these disruptions, data from 2024 revealed that 9.2 million people living with HIV were not receiving treatment, and 75,000 children died from AIDS-related causes.
“This is more than a funding crisis, it’s a looming catastrophe,” warned Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
The withdrawal of donor support is pushing vulnerable communities out of care and could trigger a surge of six million new HIV infections and four million AIDS-related deaths between 2025 and 2029.
Ms. Byanyima emphasized that with urgency and solidarity, the crisis can be turned into an opportunity.
By the end of 2024, seven sub-Saharan African countries had reached the 95-95-95 targets: 95 percent of people with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those are on treatment, and 95 percent of treated individuals are virally suppressed.
While these achievements are significant, the global fight against HIV cannot depend on domestic resources alone.
“In this moment of crisis, we must choose to transform, not retreat. We still have the power to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, but only if we act together and act now,” she stated.