UNAID Chief. Photo | courtesy.
The UNAIDS chief has warned that U.S. funding cuts will result in an additional 2,000 new HIV infections daily and over six million more deaths in the next four years.
It would mark a major setback in the global fight against HIV, which has significantly reduced annual deaths from over two million in 2004 to 600,000 in 2023, the most recent data available
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima stated that the U.S. government’s decision to pause foreign aid, including funding for HIV programs, is already having devastating effects. She urged the U.S. to reverse the cuts immediately, emphasizing that women and girls are being disproportionately affected.
US President Donald Trump announced the pause on foreign aid, for an initial 90 days, on his first day in office in January as part of a review into government spending. The majority of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) programmes have since been terminated.
As a result, many U.S.-funded HIV treatment and prevention programs have received stop-work orders, leading to the closure of mother-and-baby clinics in Africa and severe shortages of life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) medicines.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima expressed concern that the world could regress to the 1990s when HIV medication was scarce in low-income countries, leading to surging infections and deaths.
The US has long been the largest contributor to global HIV treatment and prevention. While Ms. Byanyima warned of the grave consequences of the cuts, she also acknowledged Washington’s past generosity and humanitarian support in fighting the epidemic.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima acknowledged that it was “reasonable” for the U.S. to seek a gradual reduction in its funding over time. However, she stressed that the “sudden withdrawal of lifesaving support is having a devastating impact.”
Despite urgent appeals, there has been no indication that Washington is reconsidering its decision. Meanwhile, traditional aid donors in Europe are also planning funding cuts and UNAIDS has received no assurances that other countries will step in to fill the gap left by the U.S.
Speaking in Geneva on Monday, Ms Byanyima described the case of Juliana, a young woman in Kenya living with HIV. She worked for a US-funded programme that supported new mothers to access treatment to ensure their babies did not develop the disease.
With the programme suspended, Ms Byanyima said Juliana was not only out of work but, because she was still breastfeeding her youngest child, she also feared losing the treatment she needed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) previously warned that eight countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Haiti and Ukraine could soon face critical shortages of HIV drugs due to the U.S. 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 HIV advocacy group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), warned the country could see a return to when HIV patients struggled to access necessary services for their treatment.
“We can’t afford to die. We can’t afford to go back to those years when we struggled to access essential services, especially for people on HIV treatment,” said Sibongile Tshabalala, chair of South Africa’s Treatment Action Campaign.
Ms Byanyima also proposed a deal to the Trump administration, offering an opportunity to market a new US-developed ARV to millions of people.
Developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Gilead, Lenacapavir is an injectable HIV treatment administered every six months. UNAIDS estimates that 10 million people could benefit from it. Ms. Byanyima emphasized that such a deal would not only save lives but also generate significant profits and job opportunities in the U.S.
The UN Refugee Agency has indicated it may be forced to eliminate 6,000 jobs due to funding shortfalls. Meanwhile, UNICEF has warned that efforts to reduce child mortality are at risk, and the World Food Programme has been forced to cut food rations in regions facing famine.
