UNAIDS uses ‘cost of inaction’ as an indicator of the negative impact on the lives of people and communities of not investing resources to end AIDS. This issue is particularly significant with regard to the provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV services for young people in eastern and southern Africa.

The cost of inaction for young people is especially significant as the impact extends through most of their life. This report explores the costs of inaction in not realising the SRHR needs of young people in South Africa and Zimbabwe, focusing on costs related to: 1) adolescent pregnancies, 2) HIV acquisition and 3) gender-based violation.

Using a cost of inaction approach, this report calculates the current cost of the inadequate provision of SRHR and HIV services to young people aged 15–24 years old in the two countries. This provides a foundation for alternative policies to be costed to address these gaps and a true cost–benefit analysis to be conducted.

UNAIDS Executive Director remarks - 78th World Health Assembly 2025 — High level multisectoral leadership dialogue “A new era of HIV prevention; accelerating access to long-acting prevention options through sustainable prevention systems and financing” co-organized by UNAIDS, UNFPA, Global HIV Prevention Coalition, World Health Organization and UNDP — Geneva, Switzerland, 21 May 2025

UNAIDS Executive Director remarks - 78th World Health Assembly 2025 — The future of domestic financing for health is now: Africa’s pathway to sustainable health systems — Organized by Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria, co-hosted with Ministries of Health of Ethiopia, Senegal and South Africa, the African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, SADC, EAC, the Afrochampions Initiative, WHO, UNAIDS and the Global Fund — Geneva, Switzerland, 22 May 2025

UNAIDS Executive Director remarks - 78th World Health Assembly 2025 — Colloquium on the ethic of care and responsibility in global health partnerships side event - Geneva, Switzerland, 19 May 2025

UNAIDS Executive Director remarks - 78th World Health Assembly 2025 — Ending Inequalities in Pandemic Responses: the Pandemic Agreement and Beyond — Side event organised by the Global Council on AIDS, Inequality and Pandemics. Geneva, Switzerland, 21 May 2025