The global HIV response has suffered its biggest setback in decades, Winnie Byanyima, head of the UN program Unaids, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
According to Byanyima, the withdrawal of support has led to a “collapse” of HIV prevention efforts around the world, which risks leading to 3.3 million new infections by 2030, she says.
The UN has previously warned that the US decision to close the aid agency USAID could lead to millions more AIDS deaths. More than 20 million people, most of them in Africa, already receive antiretroviral drugs through the US emergency plan for HIV and AIDS, Pepfar.
However, it is not only the United States that has reduced support for HIV efforts, Byanyima emphasizes in Geneva.
The cuts are overall severe, she says.
