UN may close HIV agency due to US funding cuts – media
21 September 2025 12:14
The United Nations agency that deals with the HIV/AIDS pandemic may close by the end of next year due to the UN restructuring due to lack of funding.
This was reported by Reuters, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The UN document, which is part of a series of proposals to member states, states that UNAIDS will cease operations by the end of 2026. The document also states that UNAIDS’ experience should be transferred to the wider UN system next year.
In response to the document, UNAIDS said it already has a transition plan in place, which includes a 55% reduction in staff in the short term and a review of that figure in 2027, ultimately leading to the closure of the agency.
UNAIDS began its operations in 1996. Since the first cases of HIV infection were registered more than 40 years ago, 88 million people have been infected and 42 million have died of AIDS-related diseases, the statement said.
The organization said that thanks to the introduction of new life-saving treatments and improved access to health care, the number of AIDS-related deaths has been halved from 1.3 million in 2010 to 630,000 in 2023. They also warned that almost a quarter of people living with HIV do not have access to these treatments, and in some regions the number of new infections is growing.
“AIDS has not disappeared; the global AIDS response has undergone major changes in recent months,” UNAIDS said in a statement, which also emphasized that much more needs to be done if the world is to achieve the goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
The UN is currently restructuring to cope with the consequences of the reduction in US foreign aid under Donald Trump’s presidency, which has led to a significant reduction in humanitarian organizations.
As a reminder, in February, US President Donald Trump signed a document terminating US participation in the UN Human Rights Council and permanently suspending funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
