South Africa Steps Up HIV Funding as Global Crisis Hits Women and Children

As the world faces a historic funding crisis threatening to unravel decades of progress in the fight against HIV, South Africa is doubling down on its commitment, even as much of the globe pulls back.

According to the newly released UNAIDS 2025 Global AIDS Update, South Africa now funds 77% of its national HIV response and has pledged further increases in both health and HIV-specific spending through 2027. This proactive approach sharply contrasts with the devastating global downturn in HIV funding that is leaving children and young women particularly vulnerable.

A Budget of Hope

South Africa’s 2025 budget review outlines:

• A 5.9% annual increase in overall health expenditure

• A 3.3% rise in HIV and TB programme spending

• New investments in health infrastructure, including a national chronic medicine dispensing system

This surge in domestic funding has been hailed by UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima as a beacon of resilience and responsibility amid a collapsing global response.

“Countries are stepping up with domestic funding. Communities are showing what works. We now need global solidarity to match their courage and resilience,” Byanyima said.

Meanwhile, a Global Collapse

The UNAIDS report, “AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform,” paints a stark global picture. In 2024:

• 620,000 children under 15 living with HIV did not receive treatment

• 75,000 children died of AIDS-related causes

• 630,000 AIDS-related deaths were recorded globally, 61% in sub-Saharan Africa

• 210,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 acquired HIV, 570 new infections daily

Prevention and treatment services are rapidly vanishing. In Nigeria, monthly PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) initiation dropped from 40,000 to just 6,000 people. In Mozambique, over 30,000 healthcare workers were affected by funding disruptions. Over 60% of women-led HIV organisations surveyed in early 2025 had either lost funding or shut down.

Why It Matters: A “Ticking Time Bomb”

“This is not just a funding gap: it’s a ticking time bomb,” warned Byanyima. “People , especially children and key populations are being pushed out of care.”

With donor funding drying up, community-led services, vital to reaching vulnerable populations, are being slashed. In some countries, punitive laws, like those recently passed in Uganda and Mali, are driving even more people away from treatment and prevention services.

If this crisis continues, UNAIDS warns that 6 million new HIV infections and 4 million AIDS-related deaths could occur between 2025 and 2029.

Is There Still Time?

While 25 countries have pledged $180 million in increased domestic spending for 2026, this is far from enough to offset donor withdrawals. UNAIDS is calling for urgent global solidarity to avoid reversing the hard-won gains made in the global AIDS response over the last two decades.

“In a time of crisis, the world must choose transformation over retreat,” said Byanyima. “Together, we can still end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, if we act with urgency, unity, and unwavering commitment.”

South Africa: A Leading Example

In the face of a crumbling global support system, South Africa is showing that local investment can lead the way. With bold policy decisions, increased HIV infrastructure, and stronger public health budgeting, it is standing firm against a rising tide of global neglect.

But South Africa cannot do it alone.

As communities fight to hold the line, especially for the millions of children and young women who still lack treatment, the world must choose: retreat or renewal?

The answer could determine the fate of an entire generation.

{Source: IOL}

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