UNAIDS calls for continued global solidarity, funding, human rights and community leadership to overcome the 2025 funding crisis

25 November 2025. Related: Early access, Treatment access, Activism & advocacy.

A black and white photographic image of a Black woman carrying a baby on her back, on a light grey background. The photo shows her from head to mid-torso and is taken from behind. Her head is turned to the right whilst her baby’s is turned to the left. Her hair is in braids that have been styled into a bun and she is wearing a striped t-shirt.

Simon Collins, HIV i-Base

UNAIDS report 2025

On 25 November 2025, UNAIDS published a World AIDS Day report addressing the devastating impact on international health programmes this year due to funding cuts and deteriorating human rights. [1, 2]

While focussed on the disruption to HIV treatment and prevention programmes globally, the 64-page report finds hope and resilience in the importance of global solidarity to still focus on ways to end AIDS.

“The funding crisis has exposed the fragility of the progress we fought so hard to achieve,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Behind every data point in this report are people—babies and children missed for HIV screening or early HIV diagnosis, young women cut off from prevention support, and communities suddenly left without services and care. We cannot abandon them. We must overcome this disruption and transform the AIDS response.”

The report includes details of the impact faced by the widespread closure of thousands of community organisations, supported and run by people from key populations. These organisations were the foundation of country responses to the HIV crisis. They include organisations founded and run by and for women, men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs and transgender people. Reporting detail on the impact of funding cuts has been difficult because monitoring was also largely US-funded.

Failing to reach the 2030 global HIV targets could result in an additional 3.3 million new HIV infections between 2025 and 2030.

Table 1 Dependency on external funding by region

Table: dependenct on external funding by region

Impact of funding cuts by region, UNAIDS 2025 (select for larger view)

The report includes the table above showing the impact of funding cuts by region on different HIV programmes.

The report calls for continued solidarity, funding and investment, and this needs to include the latest medical innovations, uphold human rights – including the right to health – and integrate community voices and leadership in all responses.

References

UNAIDS press release. UNAIDS releases its 2025 World AIDS Day report: Overcoming disruption transforming the AIDS response. (25 November 2025).
https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2025/november/wad-2025-report
UNAIDS. Overcoming Disruption Transforming the AIDS Response. (25 November 2025)
https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/2025-11/2025-WAD-report_en.pdf (pdf)