UN Warns Millions Could Die in Next 4 Years Due to Trump Cuts to HIV Funding

UNAIDS, the United Nations agency dedicated to combating the spread of HIV around the globe, has issued a dire warning about the impact of the United States slashing its funding for foreign aid.

In a newly released report, the agency contends that the Trump administration's drastic reduction of foreign aid funding to the United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been a "systemic shock" to organizations trying to stop the spread of HIV.

"HIV programs across the world are struggling from the sudden, drastic reductions in funding for the global HIV response announced by the United States Government in early 2025," the report states. "PEPFAR had committed USD 4.3 billion in bilateral support in 2025. Those services were stopped overnight when the United States Government shifted its foreign assistance strategies. Disruptions are being felt across the HIV response and pose a huge risk of increased mortality, a surge of new HIV infections, and the development of resistance to the most commonly used treatment regimens. Urgent action and revived solidarity are needed to sustain the progress made and prevent a resurgence of HIV."

The report estimates that if American funding for HIV prevention collapses entirely, it would result in 6 million additional infections and 4 million additional deaths over the next four years alone.

"This is not just a funding gap—it's a ticking time bomb," said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS. "We have seen services vanish overnight. Health workers have been sent home. And people—especially children and key populations—are being pushed out of care."

The report notes that countries that have traditionally benefited from American PEPFAR funding cannot possibly hope to make up the difference with domestic revenue and it calls on other nations to step up where the U.S. has stepped away.

"Low- and lower-middle-income countries... remain highly vulnerable," the report warns. "HIV programs in many of them are highly dependent on external financing and they are unlikely to withstand unplanned or rapid reductions in donor funding. This could lead to disruptions in essential services and weaken the overall HIV response."

Five countries in particular—Haiti, Mozambique, Nigeria, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia—are highlighted as particularly vulnerable given that they received more than 60% of their funding for HIV-related programs through PEPFAR.

Regardless, the report said that the world is still closer than it ever has been to ending the threat of AIDS. But it stressed that low- and middle-income countries would nonetheless need annual funding of $21.9 billion USD to make that goal a reality by 2030.