GENEVA, 4 July 2025—It is with profound sadness that UNAIDS learns of the passing of the former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr David Mabuza.

I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Deputy President Mabuza. In 2019, I had the honour of launching the World AIDS Day Report alongside him in South Africa. It was immediately evident that his support was not simply a matter of policy, it was personal, grounded in a long history of community-based advocacy and inclusive leadership.

As Chair of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), Deputy President Mabuza was a key figure in advancing the country’s national response to HIV and tuberculosis. I was personally moved and assured by his unwavering commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat. He consistently demonstrated compassion, clarity, and political will, particularly in tackling the deeply entrenched stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV.

Even before ascending to the role of Deputy President, he had laid strong foundations for health equity and social justice at provincial level and beyond.

Deputy President Mabuza’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic also reinforced his dedication to ensuring access to health services for all, including key and vulnerable populations affected by HIV. Under his stewardship, SANAC continued to drive multisectoral efforts aligned to South Africa’s National Strategic Plan on HIV, TB, and STIs.

His legacy is one of dignity, inclusion, and action. On behalf of UNAIDS, I extend our deepest condolences to his family, colleagues in government and civil society, and the people of South Africa. We honour his life and recommit ourselves to the vision he championed: a world free of AIDS, where no one is left behind.

Winnie Byanyima
Executive Director, UNAIDS

Borey and Sophea have both used PrEP—a medicine taken every day to avoid contracting HIV. But while this solution has worked, it was not a perfect fit.

Due to his active professional and personal life, Borey sometimes forgot to pack his pills.

“This makes it easy to miss doses, especially when I have unplanned sexual encounters,” he said.

Sophea, a female entertainment worker, is more concerned about her HIV risk with her intimate partner than at work where she uses condoms.

“I don’t fully trust that he is monogamous… he may have other partners. So, it is important for me to protect myself,” she explained.

Still, she says she’s become tired of taking a pill every day for the last six months.

Borey and Sophia are among the first clients in Cambodia to begin long-acting injectable Cabotegravir (CAB-LA), a PrEP formulation administered every two months. With this initiative, Cambodia has become a frontrunner in the Asia Pacific region to roll out long-acting PrEP.

This HIV prevention tool is aimed primarily at groups of key populations at higher risk of HIV infection including men who have sex with men, transgender women, female entertainment workers, people who inject drugs, and couples with one HIV-positive and one HIV-negative partner. This solution is being prioritized for individuals who face challenges with daily pill adherence, those with frequent risk exposure, and those who prefer a more discrete prevention method.

“Offering multiple PrEP options enhances our ability to meet the diverse needs of individuals at risk of HIV,” explained Ouk Vichea, Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS Dermatology and STD (NCHADS). “Not everyone is comfortable with, or able to adhere, to a daily oral regimen. CAB-LA provides a long-acting alternative that can improve adherence and reduce stigma.”

Offering diverse and innovative HIV prevention solutions is a key strategy as Cambodia embarks on what it hopes is the final chapter towards ending AIDS as a public health threat. The country has made great progress, providing treatment to almost all people it diagnoses and achieving viral suppression among more than 98% of people on antiretroviral therapy.

However, HIV prevention remains a challenge. Every day three people are newly infected with HIV. Nine of every ten new infections occur among people from key population communities (88%). Almost half of new infections (44%) are among young people while 79% are among men.

As a young, gay man, Borey is aware of the risks and welcomes a solution he considers to be more user-friendly.

“With CAB-LA, I don’t have to worry about remembering to take a pill every day. It gives me peace of mind and helps me stay prepared and protected. It fits well with my lifestyle because I have multiple partners and don’t always feel trust. CAB-LA makes things easier, especially in situations where sex is unplanned,” he said.

NCHADS ensures that counseling is client-centered and focuses on providing clear, non-judgmental information about all available PrEP options.

“We discuss the benefits, potential side effects, dosing schedules, and how each option fits into the client’s lifestyle. We also assess their risk profile, preferences, and any barriers they may face. The goal is to support informed decision-making and ensure clients feel confident and comfortable with their choice,” Mr Ouk said.

Patricia Ongpin, UNAIDS Country Director to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Malaysia stressed the importance of choice.

“We should present people with options and ask what fits their lives. When we pair people with suitable prevention solutions, they are more likely to be consistent,” she said.

NCHADS is exploring several innovative approaches to strengthen HIV prevention. One key development is the upcoming launch of the dapivirine vaginal ring-PrEP (DVR-PrEP). This will offer women a long-acting prevention method they can control. Cambodia will be the first country in the region to make this option available.

In addition, the clinic will expand the use of digital tools for adherence support, and community-led delivery models to increase accessibility and trust. They continue to monitor advancements in next-generation PrEP products, including future injectable and implantable options, to ensure the most effective and client-centered prevention tools are available to the people who need them most.

New HIV infections have been reduced by 40% since 2010, and 4.4 million children have been protected from acquiring HIV since 2000. More than 26 million lives have been saved. The response to HIV is one of the most successful public health interventions in history.

However, this phenomenal progress risks being reversed. Sudden, drastic cuts from a number of donors have sent shockwaves through global health. UNAIDS’ new report, AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform, shows the impact the cuts are having globally. UNAIDS estimates that if the world does not act, there could be an additional 6 million new HIV infections and 4 million AIDS-related deaths by 2029.

The report highlights the measures some countries are taking to fill the gaps and sustain the response into the future. However, for many, that future remains uncertain.

The HIV response was forged in crisis–and was built to be resilient. Communities, governments, and the United Nations are all transforming to meet this moment and deliver on the promise of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

WHAT: Launch of UNAIDS Global AIDS Update - AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform in partnership with the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC)

WHEN: Thursday, 10 July 2025

TIME: 11:30-12:30 Central African Time and CEST / 09:30-10:30 GMT

WHERE: Bertha Gxowa Hospital, Angus St, Germiston, Johannesburg, South Africa

SPEAKERS:

• Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
• Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health of South Africa
• Helen Rees, Executive Director, Wits RHI
• Mbulelo Dyasi, Executive Director of SANARELA (South African Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV & AIDS)

Watch livestream on 10 July via zoom

For access to the embargoed report or interviews please contact:

UNAIDS Communications

Charlotte Sector | tel. +41 79 500 8617 | sectorc@unaids.org

Michael Hollingdale | tel. +41 79 500 2119 | hollingdalem@unaids.org

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA/SEVILLE, 2 July 2025—At the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, UNAIDS has welcomed the Financing for Development outcome document adopted by 192 countries in a time of multilateral distress. The new Seville Platform For Action calls for actionable and coordinated global efforts to transform and strengthen global health architecture, to advance debt restructuring, strengthen tax authorities and enable more progressive taxation of the wealthy and corporations.

“The Seville Platform for Action is a remarkable leap forward and I congratulate Spain for leading efforts to secure it,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “This conference must be a turning point where we go beyond traditional understandings of health and development financing. The old consensus may be dying but we can rise to this moment and form a bold, new consensus. The world is in crisis, and solutions are not yet as radical as necessary. But Seville is setting a new pathway for stronger collective action.”

In 2023, the entire Africa region received US$ 72 billion in foreign aid but lost US$ 88 billion to illicit financial flows and spent US$ 101 billion in principal and interest of debt repayment. Two in every three countries in Africa are spending more on debt than on healthcare.

During the conference, Ms Byanyima also asked donor countries to keep their commitments, enabling a gradual and responsible transition towards greater domestic health financing, while low and middle-income countries are given the fiscal space to invest in life-saving health services, including HIV prevention and treatment programmes. Debt restructuring and progressive taxation, including of the super-rich, are key elements to broaden the fiscal space necessary to fulfil the right to health.

UNAIDS has warned of a deadly funding crisis facing the AIDS response as the United States and other partners cut international funding assistance. UNAIDS estimates that if the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is permanently discontinued and nothing replaces it, the world will see an additional 4 million AIDS-related deaths and 6 million new HIV infections by 2029. That means 2,400 people will die and 5,800 people will acquire HIV every day.

UNAIDS is also calling for more flexibility in intellectual property rules to enable access to lifesaving medicines and other essential tools such as long acting injectables that can prevent new HIV infections.

During the conference in Seville, UNAIDS co-organized, and Ms Byanyima participated in a Special Event hosted by the Government of Spain: Health Financing for a safe and sustainable economy: towards a Sevilla health fianancing agenda for action.

During the event, Spain’s Minister of Health, Mónica García Gómez said, “The Seville platform is an opportunity to show that we can change world governance to put people and their health at the centre. Health must be a right for everyone everywhere in the world.”

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.