The United Nations AIDS agency (UNAIDS) has issued a stark warning that more than six million people could succumb to HIV/AIDS in the next four years if the United States halts its global funding for related programs. This concern arises following President Donald Trump’s executive order on January 20, 2025, which imposed a 90-day freeze on hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid donations.
Although the U.S. State Department subsequently granted a waiver for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)—the world’s leading HIV initiative—allowing life-saving humanitarian assistance to continue, significant confusion and disruptions persist. Christine Stegling, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, highlighted the challenges, stating, “There is a lot of confusion, especially on the community level, about how the waiver will be implemented. We’re seeing a lot of disruption in the delivery of treatment services.”
Stegling emphasized that if PEPFAR’s financial support is not re-authorized between 2025 and 2029, there could be a 400% increase in AIDS-related deaths, equating to approximately 6.3 million fatalities. She urged United Nations member states to intervene, noting, “Any penny, any cut, any pause, will matter for all of us.”
The funding freeze has already led to significant setbacks. In Ethiopia, for instance, 5,000 public health worker contracts funded by U.S. assistance have been terminated. Community clinics, heavily reliant on U.S. government funding, are experiencing severe interruptions, raising concerns that individuals may forgo treatment, potentially leading to an increase in new HIV infections.
