Geneva / Johannesburg / Nairobi – July 2025
In a stark new report, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warns that millions of lives are at risk by 2029 if urgent action is not taken to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The report, titled “A Decade to Save Lives”, projects that without accelerated funding, political commitment, and universal access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), over 7 million people could die globally within the next four years—most of them in low- and middle-income countries.
“We have the tools to prevent every new infection and avoid every AIDS-related death. What’s lacking is political will and equitable funding,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
The UN highlights widening gaps in treatment access, especially among young women, rural communities, and displaced populations. Countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Kenya—home to the highest HIV burdens—have made progress, but still face challenges including drug stockouts, stigma, and under-resourced health systems.
The report also emphasizes the risks posed by global economic instability, rising health misinformation, and reduced international aid. Donor funding for HIV has declined by 12% since 2019, weakening prevention programs and testing capacity in many African countries.
Without renewed investment in education, prevention, and care infrastructure, the 2030 goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat is unlikely to be achieved.
UNAIDS calls for: – Increased domestic health financing in African countries – Global commitment to close the $8 billion HIV response funding gap – Protection of human rights for vulnerable populations – Integration of HIV services into broader universal health coverage (UHC) frameworks
Activists and healthcare workers across Africa echoed the urgency. “The future of an entire generation is at stake,” said Dr. Mbali Khumalo, an HIV specialist in KwaZulu-Natal.
The warning comes as the world approaches the halfway point to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with AIDS response considered a crucial test of global solidarity and justice.