Overview

• UNAIDS projects 6.3 million additional AIDS-related deaths and 8.7 million new infections in the next four years if US funding is not restored.
• The US, historically the largest donor to global HIV/AIDS efforts, abruptly cut funding under President Donald Trump, creating a critical financial vacuum.
• UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima has proposed a deal involving Gilead's HIV prevention drug lenacapavir to mitigate the crisis, but it requires US government support.
• European donors have indicated they cannot fill the funding gap, redirecting resources to other priorities like defense, while African nations struggle with fragile health systems.
• Byanyima warns that without intervention, the AIDS pandemic could return to 1990s levels globally, affecting both low-income countries and key populations in regions like Eastern Europe and Latin America.