The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS has reported a substantial decline in condom distribution across Nigeria, with figures dropping by 55 per cent over the past year.
The agency warned that this decline reflects a deepening crisis in the global response to HIV.
This figure was revealed on Tuesday in Geneva during the launch of UNAIDS’ 2025 World AIDS Day report, titled Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response. The agency stated that the world is currently facing its “worst setback in decades” in the fight against HIV, with prevention, testing, and crucial community-led programmes being severely disrupted across multiple global regions.
The report indicates that 13 countries have recorded declines in the number of people newly initiated on HIV treatment. Furthermore, in sub-Saharan Africa alone, an estimated 450,000 women have lost access to essential “mother mentors,” who are community health workers responsible for linking pregnant women and new mothers to lifesaving HIV care and support.
UNAIDS issued a warning that abrupt funding cuts and worsening human rights conditions are actively undermining prevention and treatment services in dozens of countries worldwide. The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima, commented on the seriousness of the situation, stating, “The funding crisis has exposed the fragility of the progress we fought so hard to achieve.”
Emphasizing the human impact behind the statistics, Byanyima added, “Behind every data point in this report are people. Babies missed for HIV screening, young women cut off from prevention support, and communities suddenly left without services and care. We cannot abandon them.”
The agency highlighted that adolescent girls and young women remain disproportionately affected by HIV, noting that even before the current disruptions, 570 new HIV infections were recorded daily among females aged 15 to 24. With prevention programmes now collapsing, UNAIDS cautioned that vulnerability among this particular group is rapidly growing.
Community-led groups, which UNAIDS describes as the backbone of the global HIV response, are also struggling significantly due to financial difficulties. The report states that over 60 per cent of women-led organizations have been forced to suspend essential services due to the prevailing financial strain.
According to UNAIDS modelling, a continued failure to restore essential prevention efforts could potentially result in an additional 3.3 million HIV infections occurring between the years 2025 and 2030.
The agency identified that the crisis is being fueled primarily by declining international assistance, citing OECD projections which suggest that global health funding may fall by 30 to 40 per cent in 2025 compared with the funding levels of 2023. UNAIDS warned that “The impact has been immediate and severe, especially in low- and middle-income countries highly affected by HIV.”
UNAIDS concluded by urging world leaders to take immediate action. This includes reaffirming commitments made at the recent G20 Summit in South Africa, strengthening global solidarity, increasing funding for countries most reliant on external support, investing in affordable long-acting prevention tools, and upholding human rights, as communities must remain central to an effective HIV response.
