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 14th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Boeing booked more aircraft orders than Airbus in 2025 for the first time since 2018, official figures showed, even as the European manufacturer delivered more planes during the year.
Business and political leaders are gathering in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s(WEF) annual meeting as uncertainty over the global economic and political order deepens, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies challenging long-standing international norms.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
The U.S. has issued an urgent security notice calling all American citizens to leave Iran immediately, citing escalating protests, growing violence and widespread communication shutdowns across the country.
The United Nations’ top court at The Hague has begun hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority. Gambia told judges on Monday that Myanmar targeted minority Muslim Rohingya for destruction and made their lives a nightmare in a landmark case.
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President Donald Trump said on Monday any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the U.S., as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.
China has announced plans to fully cover childbirth-related costs for families as authorities move to incentivise young couples to have more children.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that he still hopes the U.S. administration will reconsider its decision to withdraw from the organisation next month, warning that its exit would be a loss for the world.
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