Global AIDS Update 2025 Launched in South Africa: A Call for Urgency, Unity, and Transformation
– Karabo Makgato
On 10 July 2025, UNAIDS in partnership with the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), officially launched the UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2025 at Bertha Gxowa Hospital in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. Themed “AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform,” the report presents both a sobering assessment of the current global HIV response and a powerful call to action to sustain progress amid deepening funding challenges.
The launch brought together global and national leaders, including UNAIDS Executive Director Ms Winnie Byanyima, Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Deputy Minister for Women, Young People and Persons with Disabilities Ms Steve Letsike, Wits RHI Executive Director Professor Helen Rees, and SANARELA Executive Director Reverend Mbulelo Dyasi amongst others.
Speaking to the report at the launch, UNAIDS Executive Director Ms Winnie Byanyima who serves under the UN Secretary General António Guterres said, “the report celebrates hard-won progress particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where new HIV infections have dropped by 56% and HIV-related deaths by 54% since 2010, largely due to expanded access to treatment. South Africa’s antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme, the largest in the world, has been central to these achievements.
Ms Byanyima further stated that the report warns that this progress is under threat. Abrupt funding cuts from major donors, especially the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), have disrupted health systems in countries that heavily rely on international support. In Mozambique, over 30,000 health workers have been affected; in Nigeria, new monthly PrEP initiations have plummeted from 40,000 to 6,000. Globally, 9.2 million people, among them 620,000 children, still lack access to treatment. UNAIDS estimates that without urgent intervention, the next five years could see an additional 6 million HIV infections and 4 million AIDS-related deaths.
Yet, amid the crisis, the report shares stories of resilience. South Africa funds about 77% of its HIV response domestically, with the 2025 budget review including a 3.3% increase for HIV and TB programmes. Seven African countries, i.e., Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, have already achieved the ambitious 95-95-95 targets, proving that success is possible. The report also highlights breakthroughs like long-acting injectable PrEP, such as Lenacapavir, showing near-complete efficacy in trials. But affordability and equitable access remain pressing concerns, as does the urgent need to restore funding for community-led initiatives, especially women-led organisations, over 60% of which have reported funding losses or closures in 2025.
In his address, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi reaffirmed South Africa’s vision to eliminate HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, and certain cancers by 2030. Celebrating progress towards the 95-95-95 targets, now at 96-79-94, the minister stressed the need to reach the 1.1 million people still not on treatment. He described the withdrawal of PEPFAR funding as a “wake-up call” and announced National Treasury’s commitment of R753 million to fill immediate gaps, alongside R400 million over three years for research and essential services, supported by private sector partners.
Ms Winnie Byanyima called the funding crisis “a ticking time bomb,” urging countries to move towards global public investment, shared responsibility, and inclusive decision-making. She emphasised that the fight to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 requires courage, commitment, and unwavering global solidarity.
The launch of the Global AIDS Update 2025 comes ahead of the International AIDS Society (IAS) Scientific Conference in Kigali, Rwanda (13–17 July 2025), where the findings will be further explored and serve as a rallying point for renewed commitments. The message from Ekurhuleni is clear: ending AIDS is still within reach, but only if the world acts decisively, invests wisely, and ensures no one is left behind.