Africa: 'Science is Not the Problem' - UNAIDS Says Political Choices Now Threaten HIV Response

What the report says

AllAfrica reports from Rio de Janeiro that UNAIDS is warning the global HIV response has reached a critical point, as falling international support and reduced prevention programmes threaten gains made over decades. The warning was issued as delegates gathered for the 26th International AIDS Conference, held under the theme “Rethink, Rebuild, Rise.”

According to the report, UNAIDS and KFF analysis found donor government funding for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries dropped by 25% in 2025, described by conference leaders as the sharpest annual fall since such reporting began. IAS President and AIDS 2026 International Co-Chair Beatriz Grinsztejn said the decline is already affecting vulnerable communities, while UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima framed the crisis as a consequence of policy decisions rather than a lack of scientific tools.

UNAIDS’ 2026 Global AIDS Update, United to End AIDS, says new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are at their lowest levels in more than 30 years, but the world remains off course to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Byanyima said new infections have fallen 65% and AIDS-related deaths 73% since the epidemic’s peak, with 32.1 million people now on antiretroviral treatment. Still, UNAIDS reported 1.2 million new infections last year, 570,000 AIDS-related deaths, and 8.9 million people living with HIV without treatment.

The report also points to human rights restrictions, inequality and limited access to new long-acting prevention tools as major barriers. AllAfrica notes that 149 countries recently adopted a political declaration aligned with UNAIDS’ 2026–2031 strategy, committing to stronger financing, community leadership, wider access to innovation and a progress review in 2031.