The United Nations agency focusing on the HIV/AIDS pandemic could close by the end of next year as the U.N. restructures in the face of a funding crisis, according to a U.N. document published online
UNAIDS will "sunset" by the end of 2026, the document published on Thursday reads, part of a set of proposals from the U.N. to member states which they will have to decide on.
It adds that UNAIDS' expertise should be shifted into the wider U.N. system in the following year.
The U.N. is streamlining as it copes with the fallout from U.S. foreign aid cuts under President Donald Trump that have gutted humanitarian agencies.
UNAIDS said in a statement in response to the document that it already had a transition plan in place which would see a 55% reduction in staff in the short term and a review in 2027 that would ultimately lead to its closure.
It said any accelerated timeline as outlined in the U.N. document, which was drafted by the Secretary General, would have to be approved by the UNAIDS board.
UNAIDS began operating in 1996. Since the first cases of HIV were reported more than 40 years ago, 88 million people have become infected and 42 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses, it said.
The organisation said the rollout of new life-saving treatments and better access to care saw AIDS-related deaths halve from 1.3 million in 2010 to 630,000 in 2023.
But it warned nearly one quarter of those living with HIV do not have access to those treatments and new infections are rising in some regions.
"AIDS is not over; the global AIDS response has been upended in recent months," the UNAIDS statement said, adding much more needed to be done if the world wanted to achieve the goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 7th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Storm Leonardo hit Spain and Portugal on Tuesday, forcing more than 11,000 people from their homes, after a man in Portugal died when his car was swept away by floodwaters and a second body was found in Malaga.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious goal of reaching a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by March, though the timeline is widely viewed as unrealistic due to deep disagreements over territory, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.
At least 31 killed, scores wounded in suicide attack on religious site in Islamabad.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed one of its largest ballistic missiles at a newly unveiled underground base on Wednesday (3 February), just two days ahead of mediated nuclear talks with the United States in Muscat, Oman.
Winter weather has brought air travel in the German capital to a complete halt, stranding thousands of passengers as severe icing conditions make runways and aircraft unsafe for operation and force authorities to shut down one of Europe’s key transport hubs.
Storm Leonardo hit Spain and Portugal on Tuesday, forcing more than 11,000 people from their homes, after a man in Portugal died when his car was swept away by floodwaters and a second body was found in Malaga.
An attacker opened fire at the gates of a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Islamabad on Friday before detonating a suicide bomb that killed at least 31 people in the deadliest assault of its kind in the capital in more than ten years.
Ukraine and Russia carried out a rare exchange of 314 prisoners on Thursday as U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi closed with a pledge to resume negotiations soon, offering one of the clearest signs of diplomatic movement in months.
A Florida university has become a new hotspot in a widening U.S. measles outbreak, with health officials confirming multiple infections and hospitalisations.
The World Health Organization has added the Nipah virus to its list of the world’s top 10 priority diseases, alongside COVID-19 and the Zika virus, warning that its epidemic potential highlights the global risk posed by fast-spreading outbreaks.
Belgian authorities are examining suspected cases of infants falling ill after consuming recalled Nestle baby formula, amid warnings that confirmed infections may be underestimated due to limited testing requirements.
Two Nipah infections involving health workers in India have triggered heightened screening across Southeast Asia as authorities move to prevent the high fatality virus from spreading beyond the country.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it regrets the United States’ decision to withdraw from the UN health agency and hopes Washington will resume active participation in the future.
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