The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has warned that the global fight against HIV/AIDS faces a major setback, as declining international funding and unequal access to breakthrough prevention medicines threaten efforts to end the epidemic.
The warning is contained in a report released on Monday ahead of the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
According to UNAIDS, the AIDS epidemic could rebound if governments and development partners fail to close widening funding gaps and expand access to life-saving HIV prevention and treatment.
The agency estimated that 20 million people require access to antiretroviral-based prevention medicines to significantly reduce new HIV infections worldwide.
It also disclosed that 22 per cent of people living with HIV are still not receiving treatment, while international HIV funding has dropped by 18 per cent, marking the steepest decline in nearly two decades.
Highlighting recent medical advances, UNAIDS said new HIV prevention medicines, including lenacapavir, are almost 100 per cent effective in preventing HIV infection.
However, the agency warned that despite the availability of affordable generic versions, many low- and middle-income countries would remain unable to access the drug.
“Generic versions of lenacapavir could cost as little as 40 dollars per person per year, but they will remain unavailable in many countries,” the report stated.
UNAIDS warned that unless urgent action is taken, more than three million additional people could become infected with HIV before the end of the decade.
The agency stressed that the world already possesses the scientific tools needed to end the epidemic, including innovative prevention medicines and proven community-led interventions.
“What is missing is sustained financing. This growing funding gap is already forcing countries to cut essential services and close community organisations,” UNAIDS said.
It cautioned that the continued reduction in funding could reverse years of progress in the global HIV response.
Commenting on the report, UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, expressed concern that millions of people may be denied access to breakthrough HIV medicines because of high prices and restrictions linked to pharmaceutical patents.
“The true measure of success is not whether medicines exist, but whether the people who need them can actually obtain them at an affordable price,” Byanyima said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that international HIV financing declined by more than 1.5 billion dollars between 2024 and 2025, representing an 18 per cent drop and the lowest funding level recorded in almost 20 years.
The report also showed that global development assistance fell by 23 per cent last year—the largest annual decline on record—with health programmes, including HIV interventions, among the sectors most affected.
Meanwhile, UNAIDS revealed that new HIV infections increased across three regions and in 21 countries during 2025, signalling growing pressure on global HIV control efforts.
Byanyima described the current situation as “the end of the era of dependence on international aid“, urging countries to adopt new and sustainable financing models.
She called for measures such as sovereign debt restructuring to enable governments to invest more resources in healthcare and strengthen national HIV response programmes.
“Our future depends on governments having the fiscal space to invest in the health and wellbeing of their people,” she said.
source; NAN
