The United Nations agency leading the global effort to end HIV/AIDS welcomed the approval of a $6 billion US spending package, aimed at strengthening the fight against the disease after nearly a year of aid cuts. Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said the funding will provide lifesaving support for millions of people in partner countries and help ensure that the global HIV response remains efficient, data-driven, and results-oriented.
The approved package allocates $4.6 billion to bilateral HIV support under the America First Global Health Strategy, $1.25 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and $45 million to UNAIDS itself. The strategy focuses on achieving UNAIDS’ 95-95-95 targets as part of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and emphasizes country ownership and self-reliant HIV responses.
For more than two decades, US investments have been a leading driver of the global HIV response, saving millions of lives and supporting countries’ efforts to control and end their AIDS epidemics. UNAIDS coordinates the efforts of 11 UN organizations, including UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and the WHO, to achieve this goal.
The US has been a consistent partner of UNAIDS since its establishment in 1996 and recently renewed its membership on the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board through 2028. UNAIDS affirmed its commitment to leveraging the new funding to provide technical and strategic support to countries and communities most affected by HIV, in close coordination with the US Government, the Global Fund, partner governments, and local communities.
