Global HIV Response Faces Severe Disruption — UN and WHO Warn

Global HIV Response Faces Severe Disruption — UN and WHO Warn
———————————————–

On the occasion of World AIDS Day 2025, global health authorities have issued urgent warnings that recent funding cuts and service disruptions threaten to reverse decades of progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. According to the WHO and UNAIDS, 40.8 million people were living with HIV by the end of 2024, and 1.3 million new infections were recorded that year. Globally, around 630,000 people died from HIV‑related causes in 2024.

In a landmark report titled “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” UNAIDS warns that international health assistance has fallen sharply compared with 2023 — with estimates showing external funding could drop by 30–40%.

This funding shortfall has led to widespread disruptions in prevention, testing, and treatment services — especially in low- and middle-income countries.

In the Eastern Mediterranean region, WHO notes that an estimated 610,000 people live with HIV, yet fewer than 4 in 10 know their status, and less than one third receive treatment.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said the crisis “exposed the fragility of the progress we fought so hard to achieve.” She warned that without renewed political will, investment, and innovation, the world risks “undoing decades of hard‑won gains.”

For World AIDS Day 2025, global health agencies call on governments and international partners to restore funding, integrate HIV services into broader health systems, expand prevention and treatment access, and address structural barriers such as stigma, criminalization, and lack of community‑led support.

According to WHO, as of the end of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people worldwide were living with HIV. In 2024 alone, about 1.3 million people became newly infected. That same year, approximately 630,000 people died from AIDS‑related illnesses globally. Healthcare data shows that about 31.6 million of those living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).

As the world marks this day, experts warn: failure to act now could lead to millions of preventable infections and deaths — threatening the global target of ending AIDS by 2030.