Speaking in New York on the state of the global HIV response, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima warned that progress achieved over years of investment and collaboration is now under threat.
According to her, HIV testing rates have dropped sharply in high-burden regions, increasing the risk of undetected transmission and delayed treatment.
“HIV testing has fallen 22 per cent in high-burden settings, meaning that people don’t know their status and the virus continues to spread,” Byanyima said.
She also highlighted a severe funding gap affecting prevention tools, stating that “funding for condoms had been cut by more than 90 per cent” in some countries, a development she described as deeply concerning for global health efforts.
Byanyima further cautioned that prevention programmes are being weakened at a time when innovation in treatment and prevention is advancing.
“Prevention is being dismantled at the very moment we should be scaling innovations like new long-acting medicines,” she said.
She added that broader development financing is also in decline, noting: “According to the OECD, development finance fell 23 per cent in 2025, the sharpest drop on record.”
She warned that low-income countries with high HIV burdens are bearing the brunt of these reductions, further widening inequalities in access to care and prevention.
“Our newest UNAIDS data, released last week, showed fragility,” she said, underscoring the vulnerability of current progress.
Also addressing the situation, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed expressed concern that decades of gains in the fight against HIV are now at risk due to shrinking global support and financial constraints.
Reflecting on the progress made over the years, she noted the impact of global cooperation in reducing the burden of the disease.
She said: “In the 45 years since the first case of AIDS was reported, the world has demonstrated uncommon resolve and solidarity.”
“That effort helped reduce AIDS-related deaths by 70 per cent since their peak in 2004 and brought lifesaving antiretroviral treatment to more than 32 million people worldwide.”
Despite these achievements, she warned that progress remains uneven and fragile, with millions still lacking access to essential services.
According to UN figures, by the end of 2024, about 9.2 million people were still not receiving HIV treatment. In the same period, 1.3 million new infections were recorded, while approximately 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.
“Funding cuts are directly affecting prevention efforts, and the community systems that are so essential to the response,” Mohammed said.
She called for urgent global action focused on expanding access to treatment and prevention, strengthening community-led systems, protecting human rights, increasing financial commitments, and rebuilding international cooperation.
“Human rights and equality must continue to guide our response,” she added, warning that stigma, discrimination, and shrinking civic space continue to undermine progress.
Both officials urged governments to recommit to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and to support a new Political Declaration that will guide the global HIV response over the next five years.