US Aid Suspension Poses Major Threat to Global AIDS Response: UN

The United Nations has warned that if the halted US aid for AIDS prevention is not replaced, the world could witness more than 2,000 new HIV infections per day. 

“We will see a …real surge in this disease – [we] will see it come back, and we see people dying the way we saw them in the 90s and in 2000s,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima who noted a “tenfold increase” from the 600,000 AIDS-related deaths recorded globally in 2023.

 Byanyima noted that the funding freeze announced by the White House on 20 January was due to end next month, after a 90-day review.

“We have not heard of other governments pledging to fill the gap,” she stated.

where the eastern and southern regions bear 53 percent of the global HIV burden –  Byanyima warned that closing drop-in centers for girls and young women without notice would be disastrous. She emphasized that more than 60 percent of new infections on the continent are among girls and young women.

Several other UN agencies have also warned that the reduction of this aid, alongside global underinvestment in humanitarian efforts, has had severe impacts on vulnerable communities.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees stated that thousands of people in the war-torn east of Congo have been deprived of life-saving assistance.

The International Organization for Migration also reported a worsening of humanitarian crises and the collapse of support systems for migrants.

UNICEF, in cooperation with IOM, emphasized that budget cuts have put at risk significant achievements such as a 60% reduction in child mortality since 1990.

According to 2023 statistics, nearly 600,000 people worldwide have died due to AIDS. If the current trend continues, this number may rise at a catastrophic rate.