Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
At the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, held every five years, UN officials urged renewed global commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and called for the adoption of a new Political Declaration to guide efforts over the next five years. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed noted significant progress, including a 70 percent reduction in AIDS-related deaths since their peak in 2004 and over 32 million people worldwide receiving lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. However, she emphasized that progress remains uneven and fragile, citing that by the end of 2024, 9.2 million people still lacked HIV treatment while 1.3 million new infections and 630,000 AIDS-related deaths occurred. Funding cuts are directly impacting prevention and community systems essential to the response. Mohammed urged action to expand prevention and treatment, strengthen community leadership, uphold human rights, increase financing, and revive international cooperation, warning that stigma, discrimination, and shrinking civic space continue to endanger lives.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima highlighted that according to OECD data, development finance fell by 23 percent in 2025—the sharpest recorded drop—which has particularly affected HIV programs in high-burden, low-income countries. Recent UNAIDS data show a 22 percent decrease in HIV testing in critical regions, leading to undiagnosed cases and continued transmission. Funding for condoms has dropped by over 90 percent in some locations, undermining prevention at a time when innovations like long-acting medicines should be scaled up. Despite these challenges, Byanyima stated that ending AIDS remains achievable and research could eventually produce a cure. She described the current moment as perilous, with weakened multilateralism and emerging threats risking reversal of existing gains.