UNAids Warns 23% Aid Cut Risks HIV Resurgence as Repressive Laws Shrink Prevention
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 12
UNAids Warns 23% Aid Cut Risks HIV Resurgence as Repressive Laws Shrink Prevention
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 12
Summary
A 23% drop in aid spending has sharply disrupted HIV services, with UNAids warning the setback could reverse years of progress despite infections and deaths sitting at record lows.
Testing already fell steeply in 2025 in the hardest-hit countries, including a 22% annual drop in one programme, raising the risk that undiagnosed people keep transmitting the virus and start treatment later.
Prevention has been hit especially hard: it received just 11% of HIV spending in low- and middle-income countries in 2024, and community groups report services down 85% for men who have sex with men and 82% for sex workers.
UNAids said new restrictive laws on same-sex relations and civic space are pushing vulnerable groups away from care, while domestic funding has not replaced lost aid and is skewed toward treatment over prevention.
Last year recorded 1.2 million new HIV infections and 570,000 AIDS-related deaths; UNAids says wider use of twice-yearly lenacapavir could help, even as the agency itself faces cuts and possible restructuring by year-end.
As global HIV aid vanishes, are we witnessing the reversal of decades of progress against the epidemic?
Can revolutionary new drugs halt HIV if repressive laws prevent them from reaching those most in need?
2025 HIV Setback: Funding Collapse, Rising Repression, and the Race to Save the 95-95-95 Targets
Overview
In 2025, the start of President Trump’s second term triggered abrupt funding cuts to global health programs, especially those fighting HIV. This sudden loss of support jeopardized years of progress and vital investments in health infrastructure and research. At the same time, new repressive laws targeted vulnerable populations, making it even harder for them to access care. The combination of reduced funding and rising legal barriers caused immediate and severe impacts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, threatening to reverse decades of achievements in HIV prevention and treatment.