The Trump administration has terminated its funding for UNAids, the joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS, delivering a severe blow to global efforts against the disease. The decision, communicated in a letter by Peter Marocco, a Trump loyalist overseeing cuts to US overseas aid, cites alignment with agency priorities and national interest.
The funding freeze has already disrupted HIV treatment in 55 countries, according to a UN report. Before the cuts, the US provided two-thirds of international financing for HIV prevention in low- and middle-income countries, largely through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), which funds about 70% of the global AIDS response.
Countries heavily dependent on US support, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, and Haiti, are among the hardest hit. A study commissioned by the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation estimates up to 500,000 deaths in South Africa over the next decade due to the cuts, with half a million new infections possible.
Despite a 1 February waiver allowing some life-saving care to resume, confusion and sporadic aid have caused widespread suffering. UNAids executive director Winnie Byanyima warned that any reduction could severely disrupt prevention programmes, risking new infections and reversing progress towards ending AIDS.
