UNAIDS: US funding cuts puts millions of lives at risk

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanima said Monday that if the US does not fully recover from foreign aid, 6.3 million people worldwide will die from AIDS-related complications over the next four years.

“[If] US support for HIV has not recovered after the suspension, has not been replaced by other funds, and has not heard other governments pledge to fill the gap. There will be an additional 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths over the next four years.”

In January, the Trump Vance administration frozen almost all US foreign aid spending for at least 90 days. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later issued the president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief and a waiver that allowed him to continue to operate during the freeze.

Washington Blade previously reported Pepfer-far-funded programs in Kenya and other African countries, and even halted and closed services due to lack of US funding. Byanyima confirmed these closures on Monday.

“This sudden withdrawal of US funds has led to many clinics being shut down and thousands of healthcare workers being fired,” she said. “These are nurses, doctors, lab technicians, pharmacy workers, all sorts of data entry points. It’s all a lot.”

Byanyima told reporters that the loss of funds could lead to an estimated 2,000 HIV infections per day.

She said the cuts disproportionately affected HIV prevention and treatment efforts in Africa, Asia and Latin America. byanyima further emphasized that LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups remain even more vulnerable to the epidemic.

“We’ve seen some services come back because Pepfar has exemptions, but there are treatment services in particular, but there are challenges, especially for the major population,” she said. “These people served in special services that help them overcome stigma, discrimination and criminalization. I’m talking like LGBTQ people, sex workers, drug injectors, and I say the girls and young women.”

“Preventive services have not returned easily, because in addition to cutting, they also push back rights, and people experiencing discrimination, criminalized stigma, are afraid to come to service places where they may face discrimination,” he added. “So we’re looking at centres offering them preventive services that don’t reopen because they fear this may not be in line with the new guidelines.”

Then, in 2003, President George W. Bush signed the law that created Pepfer. Byanyima said it saved 26 million lives. (Council did not reapprove Pepfar before the Wednesday deadline.)

“The US is an incredible partner for us, UNAIDS and of course (and) a global fund, working closely with their Pepfer program,” she said.

The State Department on Wednesday declined to comment on Byanyima’s remarks.

Post-Unaids: US funding cuts put millions of lives at risk. First appeared in the Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.

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