UNAIDS warns HIV prevention efforts risk collapse as foreign aid falls

In 2025 alone, funding for HIV interventions in developing countries fell by 18 percent, according to the report released at the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro.

Developing countries with the highest HIV caseloads are now increasing their own funding, but it is only a drop in the ocean of what is needed, according to Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS. Many low-income countries in Africa are still completely dependent on foreign aid.

In 2025, the total number of new HIV cases and AIDS-related deaths fell to their lowest levels in over 30 years. At the same time, the number of new infections increased in 21 countries.