Analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine – co-authored by experts including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, leading epidemiologist Professor Sir Michael Marmot, and Chairperson of the One Economy Foundation and former First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos – finds economic inequality, not conventional preparedness, has been the clearest predictor of how countries fared against pandemics, upending traditional assumptions about what actions governments need to take for health security. The new research from the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics finds that while technical capacity remains necessary, it is not sufficient. To respond to and prepare for pandemics effectively, governments need to include efforts to address inequality. 

Call for “Inequality-Informed Pandemic Preparedness and Response”

Conventional understandings of what countries need to do to be ready to face pandemics are incomplete and need to be re-thought, the research shows. Many of the countries that score highest on standard measures of pandemic preparedness—based on technical abilities like laboratory, supply chain, or emergency response capabilities—have seen some of the highest rates of infection and death during both the COVID-19 and AIDS pandemics. Countries like the United States or United Kingdom have topped official preparedness lists, but the research findings show no association between these traditional understandings of preparedness and success in the real world. Policies that only ensure technical capability are not enough. 

Inequality, on the other hand, is the clearest predictor of how a country fares when a pandemic strikes, with more unequal countries less successfully responding than their more equitable peers. 

The research shows that the prevailing conception of pandemic preparedness as synonymous with technical capacities leads governments give too little attention to addressing the sources of inequality that shape the use of those capacities. The analysis demonstrates how proven, practical approaches can enable countries to overcome the inequalities which undermine public health. This includes addressing the social determinants of health within countries—the unequal conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age—as well as between-country inequalities in the global financial system.  Countries could be mounting inequality-informed pandemic preparedness and response today – but they are not.

Four ways governments can break the cycle

The research sets out proven, practical and affordable policies to address the inequalities driving pandemic risk, so that countries can respond more effectively to HIV, tuberculosis, Ebola and other pandemics. The actions governments need to take include:

• Protecting people during outbreaks: surge social protection such as paid sick leave, cash transfers and unemployment support, so no one has to choose between following health advice and feeding their family – alongside long-term investment in housing, education and secure work to build resilience before the next crisis.
• Governing across society, not health alone: multi-sectoral planning that brings in finance, labour and education ministries, and embeds community-led organisations in the response, drawing on hard-won lessons from the AIDS pandemic.
• Fixing the global financial rules: a debt-standstill mechanism for countries facing emergencies, the automatic release of emergency international financing when a pandemic is declared, and expanded pandemic lending so that every country has the means to respond.
• Sharing life-saving science: open licensing of publicly funded research, a global prize fund that rewards innovators while allowing medicines and vaccines to be produced anywhere, and expanded regional manufacturing of the treatments and vaccines needed to stop today’s and tomorrow’s pandemics.

Expert call

The analysis and call to action is outlined in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, leading epidemiologist Sir Michael Marmot, Chairperson of the One Economy Foundation and former First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, and incoming Chair of the Department of Global Health and Director of the Center for Global Health Policy & Politics at Georgetown University Matthew Kavanagh. The New England Journal of Medicine article, “The Inequality–Pandemic Cycle — Rethinking Preparedness”, setting out the argument and the way forward, is available here, and the accompanying full background data analysis can be read here. They are part of an ongoing programme of research by the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics, an international, interdisciplinary expert group convened by UNAIDS.

“For decades the world judged how ready a country is for a pandemic by counting its laboratories, stockpiles and response plans,” said Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics and Co-Chair of the Global Council. “This research shows that this is not enough. High economic inequality can leave even wealthy, well-equipped nations dangerously exposed. The encouraging news is that inequality is not inevitable – it is the result of policy choices, and we know how to change them. Reducing inequality is now one of the smartest investments any government can make.”

“Inequality is the ground in which pandemics take root – and this research proves it,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, which convenes the Global Council. “It also shows leaders exactly where to act. By tackling the inequalities within our societies, we can end AIDS as a public health threat and make the world safer from the next pandemic. When we address inequality, everyone thrives.”

The research is being published just ahead of a special panel discussion taking place at AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro – the biennial gathering of the leaders of the international HIV response. The panel, at 10:30am Rio time on 30th July, will include Joseph Stiglitz, Winnie Byanyima and Matthew Kavanagh alongside Nísia Trindade, Former Minister of Health of Brazil, Javier Padilla Bernáldez, Secretary of State for Health of Spain, and Richard Lusimbo, Director General of The Uganda Key Populations Consortium. 

Pandemic emergency

The AIDS pandemic, the largest disease of the last century, has killed at least 44 million people globally since the early 1980s. Approximately 40.8 million people are living with HIV globally, while over 9 million are not on treatment because of inequalities obstructing access, putting them at risk of dying of AIDS-related illnesses. COVID-19 and AIDS have caused far more deaths combined than all the wars over the last half-century.

The new analysis tested why some countries have more effectively tackled COVID-19 and AIDS than others. It found that a country’s level of economic inequality consistently predicted death and infection rates – while conventional preparedness rankings and levels of poverty did not. Some of the countries rated most prepared before COVID-19, including the United States, went on to record death rates far above the global average, while lower-ranked countries such as Vietnam and Ethiopia fared far better. The reason, the researchers set out, is that inequality shapes whether a country can actually mobilise the tools it has: who can afford to stay at home, who trusts public institutions, and who is reached by health services. This makes tackling inequality an essential part of enabling true preparedness.

There is a clear and consistent association between inequality and less effective response. The numbers are stark. Using the Gini coefficient – the standard 0–100 measure of income inequality – the researchers found that every one-point rise in a country’s inequality was associated with around 12.5 additional COVID-19 deaths for every 100,000 people. This pattern held for AIDS deaths and new infections as well. The pattern held across the countries studied and remained just as strong when poverty and conventional measures of preparedness were taken into account.

Economic inequalities intersect with other social determinants of health. Key populations, including men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and incarcerated people, face barriers in accessing vital services, exacerbating their risk of HIV infection. Girls in Africa face higher risk of HIV than boys. These inequalities are not inevitable and can be overcome through effective public policies.

Inequality and pandemics reinforce one another. Inequality leaves societies more exposed when outbreaks hit, and pandemics in turn widen existing gaps both within and between countries, deepening the very conditions that make future outbreaks harder to control. An International Monetary Fund analysis of past outbreaks found income inequality kept rising for around five years after each one. Breaking this cycle, the authors argue, is now essential to global health security.

As the world confronts multiple pandemics and the rising risk of new ones, the Global Council is calling on world leaders to place inequality at the centre of pandemic preparedness and response to avert another crisis of COVID-19 proportions or worse. More than 90% of the global population now lives in a country with high income inequality – levels not seen since the industrial revolution – leaving the world more exposed than ever.

“Health is not distributed by chance – it follows the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, and those conditions are deeply unequal,” said Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity and Co-Chair of the Global Council. “The inequalities that damage health in ordinary times are the same ones that leave whole societies exposed when a pandemic strikes. Creating fairer conditions of daily life is not a nice-to-have – it is the foundation of health security.”

“The evidence is clear: out-of-control inequality is bad for everyone’s health. Effective pandemic preparedness includes taking practical action to tackle the inequalities which drive them,” said Monica Geingos, Chairperson of the One Economy Foundation, former First Lady of Namibia, and Co-Chair of the Global Council.

“This is about political choices,” said Matthew Kavanagh, incoming Chair of the Department of Global Health and Director of the Center for Global Health Policy & Politics at Georgetown University, and Member of the Global Council. “Investing in tackling inequality will keep people safe.”

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.

In 2025, 1.2 million more people became infected with HIV and 570 000 more people died of AIDS-related illnesses as the world fell short of global targets. Without urgent action to meet the 2030 goals, more than 3 million could become infected with HIV by 2030. 

RIO DE JANEIRO/GENEVA, 27 July 2026—A special report released by UNAIDS for the 26th International AIDS Conference taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 27 to 31 July, shows that reductions to international funding and cuts to HIV prevention and community services are likely to lead to a resurgence of the epidemic.  

Although new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are at their lowest levels in more than 30 years, the current HIV response is extremely fragile. Efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 are at risk unless global solidarity is restored and inequalities are addressed.  

In 2025, 1.2 million people acquired HIV, but progress is uneven. New HIV infections rose in three regions and 21 countries in 2025. Around 9 million of the 41 million people living with HIV were not on treatment and almost half of all children living with HIV did not have access to antiretroviral therapy in 2025. More than half a million people (570 000) died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2025. 

Positively seven countries* achieved an almost 80% reduction in new infections since 2010 and 11 countries achieved the 95-95-95** treatment targets showing that progress is possible. 

Science and innovation offer a major opportunity. The world is on the cusp of an HIV prevention revolution in prevention medicines which offer close to vaccine like protection against HIV. Monthly and six-monthly injections are slowly trickling into the market, and monthly pills are in late-stage trials. What is coming to market and in the pipeline is extraordinary, however the challenge remains scale and inequitable access. 

“Scientific breakthroughs are giving us tools that previous generations could only dream of,” said Ms Byanyima. “However, innovation without access is not innovation, it is injustice. The test of success is not whether medicines exist—it is whether the people who need them can get them, and at an affordable price.” 

Brazil has increased the number of people accessing HIV prevention medicines at least once in the past year by 41%. Ethiopia and Uganda also took action to expand access through domestic and other funding, and South Africa is continuing to negotiate pricing deals for the twice-yearly prevention injections lenacapavir. However, despite being part of the trials for lenacapavir, Brazil has not been granted voluntary licensing from producer Gilead to enable cost-effective pricing or the introduction of generic alternatives and is considering compulsory licensing.  

UNITAID, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and partners have pulled money together to start rolling out lenacapavir to reach 3 million 2028 which is welcome news, but this remains a drop in the ocean, currently reaching just a few thousand people. UNAIDS estimates that 20 million people need of access to antiretroviral based prevention to have a real impact in stopping new HIV infections. 

Overseas development assistance (ODA) has collapsed. Global development assistance from multiple countries fell by 23% in 2025—the sharpest drop on record—a large proportion of which was for global health and HIV programmes have been hit hard. 

High burden, highly indebted, low-income countries of Africa depended on ODA for the success of their AIDS responses. Many of these countries were more than 90% dependent on ODA for their HIV responses.  

“The era of relying on international aid is over,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Countries cannot wait and they cannot go backwards. The world must urgently fix the broken financial system and accelerate debt restructuring so that governments can invest in what matters most—the health, education and futures of their people.” 

International financing for HIV from multiple countries declined by more than US$ 1.5 billion, from US$ 8.8 billion in 2024 to US$ 7.3 billion in 2025, an 18% reduction and the lowest level in nearly two decades.  

HIV prevention services were largely funded from international funding. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of prevention funding came from international aid. Community-led organizations received up to 25% of foreign HIV assistance in 2024. Surveys show that in some countries these organizations reached 22% of people living with HIV and up to 60% of marginalized populations with life-saving services. With the absence of donor support and stronger domestic investment, HIV prevention and community-led HIV service delivery risk total collapse.   

Funding for condoms has been cut by more than 90% in some countries. A 2026 study, across 47 countries, found steep reductions in community-led services—50% for community-led support for prevention medicines and HIV care—85% for services for gay men and other men who have sex with men—82% for sex workers—and 72% for survivors of gender-based violence.  

Human rights are under attack and there is a reversal of rights including the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls and marginalized populations. For the first time since UNAIDS has been tracking these trends, criminalization of marginalized populations increased. In 2025, Burkina Faso and Niger introduced criminalization of same-sex sexual activity, and Senegal increased penalties for same-sex sexual activity in 2026.  

In 2026, 168 countries criminalized sex work, 152 countries criminalized possession of small amounts of drugs, 66 countries criminalized same sex sexual relations, and 14 countries criminalized transgender people.  

“You cannot end AIDS while criminalizing people living with and most at risk of HIV,” said Ms Byanyima. “When people fear arrest, violence or discrimination, they stay away from HIV services. Human rights are not separate from the HIV response—they are essential to its success.” 

Despite the push back on human rights, in June 2026, 149 Member States adopted a progressive Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS aligned with the UNAIDS Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031 and its 2030 targets. The new 2030 targets include 40 million people on life-saving treatment, 20 million with access to antiretroviral-based prevention. The targets also include less than 10% of people living with or at risk of HIV experiencing stigma and discrimination, less than 10% of women and girls and people living with or at risk of HIV experiencing gender inequality and violence, and less than 10% of countries having punitive legal and policy environments that deny or limit access to HIV services. If fully achieved, the commitments would avert an additional 3.2 million new HIV infections and 1.3 million AIDS-related deaths by 2030.  

“Despite enormous challenges ending AIDS is still within reach,” said Ms Byanyima. “At AIDS 2026 UNAIDS is urging all partners and governments to remobilize and push forward to achieve the ambitious targets in the Political Declaration. This will require renewed solidarity, sustained financing and unwavering commitment to human rights. The choice before us is clear: retreat and risk resurgence, or rethink, rebuild and rise to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.” 

*Benin, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Nepal, Rwanda and Zimbabwe 

**95% of all people living with HIV who know their status, 95% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection accessing antiretroviral therapy, 95% of all people accessing ART who are virally suppressed. 

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, 2 July 2026—Just one week after Member States adopted a new Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the 58th Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) took the next step in shaping how the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) will evolve to help deliver those commitments. 

Building on the renewed global political commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, Board members reaffirmed the need for a strong, coordinated global HIV response while advancing discussions on how the Joint Programme should accompany the global response in a changing financial and global health landscape. 

Across three days of discussions, Member States, communities and partners broadly agreed that while the current operating model must evolve, the world continues to need strong political leadership, multisectoral coordination, accountability and meaningful community participation. The discussions marked an important milestone in the work of the independent PCB Working Group, which will present final recommendations on the future structure and governance of the Joint Programme in October. 

“Even in a complex global political context, UNAIDS still has that unique power to unite the world behind a shared vision to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. “We will not deliver on that promise through institutions alone. We will deliver it through people, through the communities who refuse to be invisible, through the staff who carry this mission every day, through leaders in governments and partner organisations acting with courage in the face of uncertainty.”   

At the start of the meeting, the Vice Minister and Director General for International Cooperation for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Pascale Grotenhuis opened the meeting, saying, “The Kingdom of the Netherlands reaffirms the importance of sustainably transitioning and integrating UNAIDS within the UN system and beyond while safeguarding what makes it unique: its community-led approach, grounded in human rights and centered on key populations." 

Chairing the meeting Erica Schouten, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations in Geneva, said, "It is time to forge a new vision and narrative for the global HIV response, one that is deeply rooted in the hopes, values, and realities of our current time.”   

For the Philippines, global commitment is especially urgent. "We continue to experience one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world, with close to 50 new HIV infections every day," said Albert Francis Domingo, Philippines Undersecretary of Health and Chief of Staff. "The Philippines recognizes that the global HIV response is at a critical juncture. We therefore support reforms that strengthen efficiency and break down institutional silos. At the same time, these reforms must preserve the Joint Programme's unique comparative advantages.” 

One such advantage is having civil society representation as part of the UNAIDS board. The position of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is critical for the effective inclusion of community voices in the AIDS response. 

“We must invest in communities, protect civic space and human rights and ensure that those living these realities are heard, supported, and meaningfully involved in decision making,” said Ulrich Mvate from the NGO Africa delegation. 

UNAIDS also thanked its longstanding donors for their steadfast support and expressed gratitude to programme countries who are contributing funds to maintain UNAIDS offices in their countries, reflecting strong national ownership.   

The meeting’s thematic session focused on sustaining the HIV response and human rights for people who use drugs.  Currently 8% of all new HIV infections are among people who inject drugs being and they are 34 times more likely to contract HIV than the general adult population. 

"The HIV response is no longer only facing a funding crisis, it is becoming a crisis of survival for many people who use drugs,” said Anton Basenko, Executive Director of International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD), citing a lack of harm reduction supplies, needle and syringe programmes closing and increased criminalization. 

"Our message is simple: if communities disappear, the HIV response disappears with them,” he said.  

The Report to the Board by the UNAIDS Executive Director, and the reports for each agenda item and the PCB’s decisions can be found here. There will be a Special session in October followed by a regular PCB in December.  

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, 12 June 2026—A new report released today by UNAIDS shows that external funding cuts, a strong push back on human rights and under investment and under prioritization of HIV prevention and community services are threatening to reverse years of gains in the AIDS response.  

“There's no question that this is the most serious disruption in the HIV response since the world came together to fight this disease,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The funding cuts, combined with the reduction in civic space and the further criminalization of marginalized populations have come together to create the biggest storm the HIV response has ever seen.” 

Dramatic cuts in aid that highly burdened, low-income countries depend on for their HIV response have had a devastating impact. Global development assistance from multiple countries fell by 23% in 2025—the sharpest drop on record—and HIV programmes have been hit hard.  

HIV testing programmes fell by 22% in high-burden settings between 2024 and 2025. Meaning people are unable to access treatment and the virus continuing to spread. Funding for condoms has been cut by more than 90% in some cases. PrEP (daily medicine to prevent HIV) uptake dropped sharply falling by 38% between 2024 and 2025 in 62 countries reporting to UNAIDS. 

HIV prevention is being dismantled at the very moment the world needs to take it to scale, especially with new, revolutionary, long-acting prevention innovations coming to market. Prevention was already underfunded at just 11% of total HIV spending in 2024—and that limited investment is now shrinking further with no signs that domestic funding will fill the gap.  

The HIV response has been the most successful story in global health over the last 25 years, AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 56% from 1.3 million in 2010 to 570 000 in 2025. New infections have been reduced by 43% since 2010 to 1.2 million, and 78% of the 40.9 million people living with HIV are now on treatment (32.1 million).   

But this success is fragile—nearly 9 million people are not on treatment. At a time when external funding is reducing, treatment gains are extremely fragile. Western and central Africa, for example, is around 90% dependent on external funding for its HIV treatment programmes. Without sustained external financing and increased domestic resources, there is a serious risk of treatment interruptions—which will mean rising deaths and rising new infections. 

Progress remains highly uneven—some regions are improving, while others are seeing rising infections (eastern Europe and central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa and Latin America have seen rising new HIV infections since 2010). And every week, 3000 adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV—this is one of the clearest signs the world is failing to reach some of the most vulnerable populations.  

Community-led organizations, civil society, organizations led by people living with HIV, young people, sex worker organizations for example, are the most effective in delivering services to people living with and affected by HIV, yet they are not prioritized and are being pushed to the brink. They are on the front line to deliver HIV prevention, treatment and support services to up to 60% of their own communities including, men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs and their sexual partners, yet funding has been drastically cut and there are no apparent increases from domestic resources. 

A recent community-led study of 79 community-led organizations across 47 countries and three continents (Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa) showed a 50% drop in community support services for people living with HIV, an 82% reduction in services for sex workers and service reductions of 85% for men who have sex with men. Support services for survivors of gender-based violence are also declining. When communities lose funding, the entire response loses reach, trust and effectiveness. 

The report also shows a dangerous rollback of rights. Criminalization of marginalized populations is increasing for the first time since UNAIDS began tracking these trends. In 2025, two additional countries introduced criminalization related to same-sex sexual activity, and one country increased penalties for same-sex sexual activity in 2026. When people fear arrest or discrimination, they do not test, they do not seek care—allowing the epidemic to continue to grow. 

“Diseases spread fastest where human rights are weakest,” said Ms Byanyima. “The rollback on human rights and civic space is not accidental—it is organized, it is political, it has real public health consequences and dire HIV outcomes.” 

However, the report shows that there are windows of opportunity. The share of domestic resources for the HIV response increased from 28% in 2010 to 52% in 2024. Since January 2025, more than 54 countries have committed to increasing domestic financing. However, many countries are facing spiralling debt crises—28 African countries spend more on debt than on health. UNAIDS welcomes new donor commitments, for example from the US and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which offer an opportunity to work with countries on domestic co-investment and planned transitions. 

Integration of HIV also has potential for promising results. A quarter of 152 countries have integrated HIV into broader health strategies. For example, cervical cancer services have been included in national HIV guidelines in more than 80 countries.  

Innovation can further drive gains. By the end of March 2026, more than 6000 people were accessing the long-acting prevention medicine lenacapavir across five sub-Saharan African countries however, more effort is needed to reach the 20 million people UNAIDS estimates are in need of antiretroviral prevention medicines. 

In the coming days (22-23 June) the United Nations General Assembly will convene a High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS where countries will come together to adopt a new Political Declaration on HIV. This will be the final Political Declaration before the 2030 deadline to end AIDS as a public health threat. The new Political Declaration will include new 2030 targets from the Global AIDS Strategy. Overarching targets include reaching 40 million people with antiretroviral treatment by 2030, ensuring 20 million people have access to medicine to prevent HIV and ensuring that all people receive services free of stigma and discrimination.  

The 2030 goals remain achievable. Reaching 2030 targets could avert 3.2 million additional new infections. This requires continued unity and commitment, with countries in the lead, backed by global partners with communities at the centre.   

“We know how to end AIDS,” said Ms Byanyima, “The question now is political: will we invest, or will we retreat? If we follow the Global AIDS Strategy and UN Member States commit to adopting a strong Political Declaration to guide the response over the next five years, we can still end AIDS by 2030. However, if we fail to act, we risk reversing decades of hard-fought progress.” 

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.

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 4 June 2026—UNAIDS welcomes the release of the United Nations Secretary-General’s report on HIV/AIDS, issued ahead of the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS taking place in New York on 22–23 June 2026. In the report, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivers a clear message that the world has made historic gains against HIV, but that the gains are increasingly at risk unless governments urgently recommit to the global AIDS response. 

“The global HIV response is at a critical juncture. Progress is real and measurable, but it is increasingly vulnerable to converging crises,” said Mr Guterres, citing declines in external funding, rising debt burdens, humanitarian emergencies and regression in human rights. 

The Secretary‑General highlights that 31.6 million of the 40.8 million people living with HIV were on treatment in 2024, the highest number ever recorded and that AIDS‑related deaths have fallen by 54% since 2010, reaching their lowest level since the early 1990s. 

The report outlines that countries in eastern and southern Africa—home to the majority of people living with HIV—have led the way. Seven countries in the region achieved the global 95‑95‑95 testing and treatment targets in 2024. 

“These achievements are a shining testament of the progress to end AIDS when political leadership, community action and sustained investment come together,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. 

However, the report underscores that the world is far off track from the 2025 targets set in the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS. Some 9.2 million people still lack access to HIV treatment, around 630,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2024—double the 2025 target of 250,000 and 1.3 million people became infected with HIV in 2024—3.5 times the 2025 target of 370,000 by 2025.  

The report outlines that progress remains uneven. New HIV infections have risen sharply in the Middle East and North Africa (up 94% since 2010) and have increased in Latin America as well as in eastern Europe and central Asia. 

The report also warns of the need to confront the structural inequities that undermine access to HIV services, close funding gaps and accelerate the expansion of HIV services in sustainable ways. Adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa continue to acquire HIV at three to four times the rate of their male peers.  

Key populations and their partners account for 74% of new infections outside sub-Saharan Africa. The Secretary-General warns in the report that declines in external financing for health are projected to drop by up to 40%, with HIV prevention and community-led services most at risk. In western and central Africa, 90% of treatment funding comes from external donors. Prevention programmes in sub-Saharan Africa rely on 80% external funding. 

“Without urgent action to close the funding gap, millions of lives are at stake,” said Ms Byanyima. “We cannot allow financial shocks, backlashes against human rights or political backsliding to reverse decades of progress.” 

The report lays out some of the major opportunities to accelerate progress. Long-acting HIV prevention tools, including injectable HIV prevention medicines, are becoming more accessible, with generic versions expected at US$ 40 per person per year, however progress on roll-out is slow.  

Community-led organizations, proven to improve testing, treatment adherence and viral suppression, must be protected, funded and integrated into country ownership plans. New national sustainability roadmaps, developed together with UNAIDS, in more than 30 countries are strengthening domestic ownership of HIV responses. 

The UN Secretary-General calls on Member States to endorse bold new 2030 HIV targets in the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS due to be adopted at the upcoming High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. The targets will build on the 2025 commitments and aim to ensure continued progress towards the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and sustaining it into the future.  

“The pathway to end AIDS by 2030 exists and remains open,” concludes Mr Guterres. “But only if we act together.” 

UNAIDS urges all governments to use the upcoming High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS to recommit to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, to protect and expand funding for HIV prevention, treatment and community-led services particularly by increasing domestic resources for HIV, to remove punitive laws and policies that fuel stigma and block access to HIV services and to ensure equitable access to innovations, including long-acting HIV prevention and treatment.  

“Ending AIDS is a political choice,” said Ms Byanyima. “With courage, solidarity and investment, we can finish the job.” 

The report of the UN Secretary-General is an instrumental reference to inform negotiations by member states on the new Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS in the lead up to the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS on 22-23 June 2026. More information including this report and the Civil Society Statement for the High-Level Meeting are available on the special UNAIDS web page United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS.

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.

KINSHASA/GENEVA, 29 May 2026 — UNAIDS is supporting efforts to maintain uninterrupted HIV treatment and care services as the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to evolve, with cases reported in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, prompting heightened surveillance and preparedness measures. 

National authorities, supported by Africa CDC, WHO and partners, are leading efforts to contain the outbreak, while neighboring countries are strengthening border surveillance, risk communication and response preparedness. 

Community partners are increasingly concerned about the impact of the Ebola outbreak on people living with HIV and the continuity of HIV services in affected areas. Reports from community organizations in eastern DRC indicate that fear of exposure to Ebola in health facilities and concerns around transmission are leading some people living with HIV to avoid community antiretroviral therapy (ART) distribution points and delay or miss clinic appointments. 

One worker who is part of the team distributing medicines at communities has described the working environment as extremely risky, with no personal protection measures in place. Angélique Machozi Lassi  from Point de Distribution Communautaire (PODI) said: “Things are tough for us. We have to continue providing medicines to the community, which puts us at risk because we don’t have personal protective equipment. We are not sufficiently protected. We need assistance,”. 

In the DRC, UNAIDS is participating in national coordination mechanisms and has contributed to the integration of HIV into the National Ebola Preparedness and Response Plan, launched on 21 May 2026. UNAIDS is also providing technical assistance to the National AIDS Control Program to develop an HIV Mitigation Plan aligned with the national response, including measures to protect people living with HIV and health professionals, ensure continuity of treatment, and strengthen surveillance and monitoring in the three provinces affected by Ebola. UNAIDS is contributing to resource mobilization efforts and plans to support data collection and monitoring tools for community-based surveillance in affected health zones. 

UNAIDS teams are also supporting preparedness and response efforts in neighbouring at-risk countries. In Uganda, UNAIDS is working with the Ministry of Health to conduct rapid assessments of essential services for HIV, in high-risk districts. In Angola and Burundi, UNAIDS is supporting preparedness in border areas by identifying priority actions to sustain HIV services and strengthening engagement with National AIDS Programmes, community partners and service delivery points in areas at risk of transmission. 

Across the region, UNAIDS is advocating for the inclusion of HIV community organizations in response efforts and for resources to reach community-level actors, strengthening outreach, risk communication and community-led monitoring to protect people living with HIV and other vulnerable populations. 

Experience from HIV and other health emergencies has shown that strong community engagement, trusted information and uninterrupted health services are essential to an effective outbreak response. UNAIDS will continue to monitor the situation alongside partners. 

There is an estimated number of 610 000 people living with HIV in the DRC.

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.

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 15 May 2026—More than 200 civil society representatives, people living with HIV and partners gathered in person and online at the United Nations in New York to urge renewed political leadership, sustainable financing and stronger support for communities at a one-day Multi-Stakeholder Hearing on HIV. This hearing comes amid growing concern that funding cuts and attacks on human rights are beginning to derail years of progress in the global HIV response.  

The hearing was held as part of preparations for the 2026 United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS (22-23 June 2026), where Member States will negotiate a new Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS to guide the global HIV response over the next five years. 

President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, who opened the hearing said, “As stakeholders, your efforts are needed now more than ever: to maintain pressure and to help ensure that the decisions taken here reach the communities you serve. In a world where innovations exist—and where resources remain abundant—there is no reason not to take this fight to the next level, together.”  

The event gave an opportunity for UN Member States to hear from civil society representatives and people living with HIV about their lived experiences, urgent priorities and current and emerging gaps in the HIV response. 

“The AIDS response has always been powered by courage. By resilience, by outrage, by refusal to accept the injustice that some lives matter more than others,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS in her opening remarks. “That same spirit is needed again now. This is the moment for the world to embrace the very real possibility of ending AIDS as a public health threat, once and for all people, everywhere, if we collectively choose to do what is necessary in the next five years.”  

Civil society representatives highlighted the need for continuity and sustainability of the HIV response over the long term. Many of the issues and concerns raised at the hearing were centred around the impact of the ongoing declines in international funding, how to encourage countries to increase domestic commitment and resources and how to support the critical work of community-led services, particularly by and for key populations most affected by HIV.  

“Last year’s disruptions tested all of us. Yet, this period of reform and repositioning offers a genuine opportunity for fresh leadership,” said Florence Riako Anam, Co-Executive Director of the Global Network of People Living with HIV. “The leadership of today must shape this transition from emergency response to sustainable systems; a necessary and proud evolution that recognises that people living with HIV will still be here in 2031 and beyond, with needs that matter then as they do now. Let us carry forward the same admirable spirit, that has defined the multilateral HIV response.”  

The Multi-Stakeholder Hearing also kicks off a period of intensified advocacy and education, including next week 13-19 May, during which communities and civil society will continue to shape their priorities for the negotiations on the High-Level Meeting Political Declaration. 

Ambassador Charles Masole, Permanent Representative of Botswana to the UN and Co-Facilitator of the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS said, “Botswana’s HIV response, often recognized as a success story, was not the result of government action alone. It was driven—and continues to be driven—by activists and community leaders who refused to allow the government, or society at large, to look away from the human cost of AIDS. This partnership between government leadership and civil society advocacy has been, and remains, essential to sustaining progress not only in Botswana, but also around the world.” 

Ambassador David Bakradze, , Permanent Representative of Georgia to the UN and Co-Facilitator of the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS said, “The message is clear: we can end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 but doing so will require the continued leadership and involvement of communities—and ensuring this work is supported and institutionalized. Communities are essential for success on a programmatic level; they are not a line item that can be cut out of budgets—they are critical infrastructure and essential to end AIDS.” 

The President of the General Assembly’s report from the Multi-Stakeholder Hearing, which will be issued in coming days, will be instrumental in informing consultations by member states on the new Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS in the lead up to the High-Level Meeting on 22-23 June 2026. This report and Civil Society Statement for the High-Level Meeting will be made available on the UNAIDS web page United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS.  

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, 01 June 2026—Pursuant to Judgment No 5152 delivered by the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization, UNAIDS was ordered to issue the present new press release related to a previous press release that was issued by UNAIDS on 14 September 2018. By virtue of the present press release, and pursuant to the Tribunal’s order, UNAIDS confirms that, on 28 February 2019, the Organization acknowledged that, further to a preliminary review, the allegations made against the complainant, to which its prior press release of 14 September 2018 referred, were found to be unsupported by prima facie evidence and not to merit any further investigation.

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 6 May 2026—As the 13th International Francophone Conference on HIV (AFRAVIH) ends, the resounding call from UNAIDS and partners is to continue to move forward together to end AIDS by 2030.  

Addressing participants Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director said, “Ending AIDS has never been only a medical challenge it has always been shaped — and determined — by inequality. Our greatest breakthroughs came when we closed gaps in access to scientific innovation, to finance, and to rights driven by political leadership, global solidarity, and a powerful community-led movement.” 

Christine Katlama, President of AFRAVIH said, “In this challenging global context, with a real fear that HIV may rebound, we must share our scientific knowledge and maintain our solidarity.”  

With global aid falling by more than 23% last year, many countries are struggling to fill the gap. Professor Nicolas Meda from Burkina Faso voiced that African countries commit too little money to health and more on defence and debt repayments. Currently only three out of 54 African countries have achieved the commitments set out in the 2001 Abuja Declaration of spending 15% of their annual national budgets on health. He said that every US$ 1 spent on health has a return on investment of US$ 3-4.  

“African health sovereignty is a public health emergency and a political and existential obligation. It is up to us to build that future now,” he said. 

Throughout the conference, the Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031 was cited as the critical  roadmap to ending AIDS. It outlines three strategic priorities: 1) Sustaining the response through country-led, resilient and future-ready systems, 2) Putting people at the centre, ensuring equity, dignity and access to services and 3) Empowering communities to lead and shape the HIV response.  

“The funding shock has been brutal but we are all invested in the fight against HIV, so we only have one choice: Move forward and not abandon our common goal of ending AIDS,” said Michel Kazatchkine, former UN Special envoy on HIV/AIDS. 

Many of the speakers in the conference were from the West and Central African region, which has made notable progress in recent years with a 55% reduction in new HIV infections across the region and a 60% decline in AIDS-related deaths between 2010 and 2024. However, the region also has much work to do accounting for 36% of all new HIV infections among children globally. In addition, one in three people living with HIV among key populations report having been refused access to health services and/or discrimination. And eight countries in the region demand parental consent for HIV testing of minors, adding barriers for young people to know their status. The region accounts for 19% of new global HIV infections among adolescents and young girls (15-24.)  

Nearly 1000 participants attended the four-day conference held at a critical moment, just ahead of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. All Member States will come together on June 22,23 in New York to negotiate and adopt a new Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS - an integral part of efforts to end AIDS by 2030.

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, 31 March 2026—The HIV response is at a tipping point. If HIV prevention is deprioritized and defunded, gains made in stopping new HIV infections could be reversed. 

With 1.3 million new HIV infections per year in both 2023 and 2024, the world remains off-track to end the pandemic. Yet, global HIV prevention targets are achievable. At the end of 2024, five countries—Lesotho, Malawi, Nepal, Rwanda and Zimbabwe—had achieved a 75% reduction in new HIV infections compared to 2010. New targets for 2030, co-developed with countries and communities, have informed the new Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031.

The Global HIV Prevention Coalition (GPC), which was established in 2017 to strengthen and sustain political and financial commitment to primary prevention, has used these targets and the Strategy to develop the HIV Prevention 2030 Global Access Framework.

“Our vision is that everyone in need has access to HIV prevention options. This is achievable if investments in prevention are robust and sustained, if countries ensure effective use of resources, and if programmes are evidence-based and grounded in human rights with communities at the centre,” said Angeli Achrekar, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS.

The Access Framework outlines how, by 2030, countries can ensure that 90% of people in need of prevention services have access and that 90% of people living with HIV are virally suppressed. This, in combination, would lead to a 90% reduction in new HIV infections globally.

To attain these targets in a time of limited resources, the 2030 Prevention Access Framework defines five Ps for prioritization: put the People in greatest need at the centre; Place—focus on the highest-burden locations; the right Platforms—for service delivery; the right Package—of prevention options to offer people choices; Price—cost effectiveness to ensure sustained country implementation.

Ensuring access to HIV prevention now means shifting towards country-led and domestically funded programmes, finding local solutions for sustained impact.

Topline targets for prevention options were translated into key numeric milestones for 2030: 40 million people living with HIV globally on HIV treatment; 20 million people accessing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) options to prevent HIV; 20 billion condoms, and at least 20% of domestic HIV financing dedicated to prevention. 

The future of the HIV response will be determined by whether we can deliver combination prevention at scale, rooted in human rights and dignity, driven by governments, communities and young people, and integrated within sexual and reproductive health. UNFPA is committed to meeting the needs of all population groups, particularly those of adolescent girls and young women. We will continue working with partners to address critical gaps to ensure no one is left behind." said Pio Smith Deputy Executive Director ai UNFPA 

HIV prevention innovations have further expanded choice for populations at risk. New long-acting options for prevention such as lenacapavir—twice yearly injections to prevent HIV—are becoming available. Trusted access platforms such as stigma-free health services integrating HIV prevention, community outreach, pharmacies, youth-innovative virtual and telehealth platforms, supported by generative AI, are critical in facilitating access to prevention options.

“The cost of inaction is detrimental. Innovations, including new and emerging long-acting prevention options, especially lenacapavir, have added to the array of prevention choices. Now, speed, scale and equity are still needed to translate exciting science into public health impact,” said Mitchell Warren, GPC Co-chair and Executive Director of AVAC. “History will judge us harshly if we as a global community fail to meet this scientific moment.”

Despite global commitments, primary prevention investments remain far below required levels particularly in many low- and middle-income countries. Governments need to commit at least one fifth of domestic HIV funding to HIV prevention programmes and ensure prevention commodities such as anti-retroviral-based prevention, condoms, needles and syringes and voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention should be available and accessible to users at affordable prices.

“A fit-for-purpose global prevention mechanism must reinforce country leadership, safeguard and optimize prevention financing, and align partners and resources to country priorities and systems,, which will reduce fragmentation and strengthen prioritization and timely decision making so that available resources are fully leveraged for impact,” said Dr. Nduku Kilonzo, GPC co-chair, Secretary of the HIV Multisector Leadership Forum 

UNAIDS, UNFPA, GPC and partners will continue to steer progress through a global campaign to sustain momentum and reach the 2030 prevention targets.

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.