Global HIV/AIDS Fight at Risk | 12 Jul 2025

Source: IE 

According to the UNAIDS, a sudden halt in US funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) threatens to reverse decades of progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 

• In January 2025, the US suddenly withdrew its USD 4 billion pledge, potentially leading to 4 million more AIDS-related deaths and 6 million new HIV infections by 2029. 
• A breakthrough injectable drug, Yeztugo, shows 100% prevention efficacy — but the high price is keeping it out of reach for most low- and middle-income countries. 
• PEPFAR, launched in 2003, aims at preventing Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, and saves lives. 
• UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) is the UN's leading global agency dedicated to: 
  • Ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 
  • Coordinating HIV response across 11 UN agencies (e.g., WHO, UNICEF, World Bank) 
  • Advocating for equitable access to prevention, treatment, and care.