HIV response gains ground despite global funding cuts

India is home to an estimated 2.6 million people living with HIV.

Pooja Mishra’s health continued to deteriorate until she began HIV treatment at age 19, two years after her diagnosis. From fearing she might never live a normal life, she is now the youth coordinator at a coalition for people living with HIV in India.

“Promise that you will take your medicines lifelong,” Ms Mishra told UN News in a message marking World AIDS Day on Monday. “Your medicine is your biggest protection,” she added.

Yet the global HIV response for more than 40 million people living with the disease is facing its most serious setback in decades. UNAIDS, which is leading efforts to end the epidemic by 2030, warned last week that funding cuts are disrupting prevention and treatment programmes.

On this year’s World AIDS Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged governments and partners to expand access to new WHO-recommended tools, including lenacapavir (LEN), to reduce infections and counter the impact of foreign-aid cuts.

Progress in prevention

“We face significant challenges, with cuts to international funding and prevention stalling,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “At the same time, we have significant opportunities, with exciting new tools with the potential to change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic.”

Despite major financial setbacks, the global HIV response gained momentum in 2025, according to WHO.

The organization prequalified LEN, a highly effective twice-yearly injectable for HIV prevention, in October. National regulators in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia have since approved the medicine to expand access.

WHO is also working with partners to ensure affordable access to LEN in lower-income countries.

“By pairing these advances with decisive action, supporting communities, and removing structural barriers, we can ensure that key and vulnerable populations have full access to life-saving services,” said Tereza Kasaeva, head of WHO’s department for HIV and other diseases.

Communities drive HIV response

UNAIDS warned last week that the number of people beginning treatment has fallen across 13 countries, while more than 60 per cent of women-led organisations reported being forced to suspend essential services.

The agency stressed that communities are the backbone of the HIV response—educating, supporting and advocating for people living with HIV, and working alongside health workers and policymakers to expand access to treatment.

“The pain, fear, and mental pressure that we ourselves have felt—through that experience, we know how big a role peer support plays in anyone’s life,” Ms Mishra said.

The National Coalition of People Living with HIV in India (NCPI+), where she works, combats stigma and reaches vulnerable groups with treatment, prevention and support services.

“We have started this movement, but how to keep it going for a long time is a very big question. Because unless the network is strong, we will not be able to provide services on the ground—neither reach youth nor offer peer support,” she added.