Global donor government funding for the HIV response saw a 25% reduction in 2025 from the previous year, according to a report by UNAids and KFF released at Aids 2026. This decrease was entirely due to a significant decline in US support.
The funding cuts coincide with disruptions to Pepfar, the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief. Studies presented at Aids 2026 indicated that more than half of Pepfar implementing partners in 46 countries reported at least one terminated award, leading to over 1,700 closed HIV service sites. Furthermore, over 77,000 fewer children living with HIV globally received Pepfar-supported treatment in fiscal year 2025 compared to 2024, a 14% decline, with South Africa alone seeing a 45% drop.
Separately, a senior US state department official presented a map of Africa with mislabelled country names during a session at the 26th International Aids Conference in Rio de Janeiro at the end of July. The error reportedly occurred due to an over-reliance on AI tools.