The global HIV response is experiencing its worst setback in decades, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). In its 2025 World AIDS Day report, “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” the agency documents a 55 % drop in condom distribution in Nigeria over the past year. The report also notes widespread disruption to HIV prevention, testing, and community‑led programs, leading to fewer people being newly initiated on treatment across 13 countries.
In sub‑Saharan Africa, 450,000 women have lost access to “mother mentors,” trusted community workers who connect them to care. UNAIDS attributes these disruptions to abrupt funding cuts and a deteriorating human‑rights environment, which have compromised prevention and treatment services in dozens of nations. Even before the crisis, adolescent girls and young women were severely affected, with 570 new HIV infections occurring daily among those aged 15 to 24.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima warns that the funding crisis has exposed the fragility of progress made in the fight against HIV. She stresses that today’s choices will impact millions of lives and calls for a united commitment to the shared vision of ending AIDS. The report cautions that dismantled prevention programs leave vulnerable populations—particularly adolescent girls and young women—more susceptible to infection. Community‑led organizations, essential to HIV outreach, are under pressure, with over 60 % of women‑led groups suspending critical services.
If prevention efforts are not restored, UNAIDS modeling predicts an additional 3.3 million new HIV infections between 2025 and 2030. International assistance has already declined sharply; OECD projections show a 30‑40 % decrease in external health funding in 2025 compared with 2023. This reduction has had an immediate and severe impact, especially in low‑ and middle‑income countries heavily affected by HIV.
UNAIDS urges world leaders to reaffirm global solidarity and multilateralism, maintain and increase HIV funding, and invest in innovation—such as affordable long‑acting prevention—and the protection of human rights. Empowering communities, the agency emphasizes, remains central to a successful HIV response.
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