UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima on March 24 said 6.3 million more people around the world will die of AIDS-related complications over the next four years if the U.S. does not fully restore its foreign assistance.
“[If] the U.S. assistance for HIV is not restored after the pause and is not replaced by other funding, and we have not heard of other governments pledging to fill the gap, there will be an additional, in the next four years, 6.3 million more AIDS-related deaths,” said Byanyima during a press conference in Geneva.
The Trump-Vance administration in January froze nearly all U.S. foreign aid spending for at least 90 days. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later issued a waiver that allows the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief and other “life-saving humanitarian assistance” programs to continue to operate during the freeze.
The Washington Blade has previously reported PEPFAR-funded programs in Kenya and other African countries have been forced to suspend services and even shut down because of a lack of U.S. funding. Byanyima on Monday confirmed these closures.
“This sudden withdrawal of U.S. funding has led to the shutting down of many clinics, laying off thousands of health workers,” she said. “These are nurses, doctors, lab technicians, pharmacy workers, all kind of data entrists. It’s all a lot.”
Byanyima told reporters this loss of funding could translate into an estimated 2,000 more HIV infections a day.
She said the cuts have disproportionately impacted HIV prevention and treatment efforts in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Byanyima further stressed LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups have been left even more vulnerable to the epidemic.
“Since there was a waiver to PEPFAR, we’ve seen some services coming back, particularly treatment services, but challenges are there, particularly for key populations,” she said. “These people who have been served by special services that help them overcome stigma, discrimination, and criminalization: I’m talking of LGBTQ people, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and as I said girls and young women.”
“Prevention services are not coming back that easily because … in addition to the cuts, there is also a push back on rights and people who have been experiencing discrimination, stigma, who are criminalized are afraid to come for services to places where they might face discrimination,” added Byanyima. “So, we’re seeing the centers that were providing them with prevention services not reopening for fear that this might not be consistent with the new guidelines.”
Then-President George W. Bush in 2003 signed legislation that created PEPFAR. Byanyima noted it has saved 26 million lives. (Congress did not reauthorize PEPFAR before Wednesday’s deadline.)
“The United States has been an incredible partner for us, UNAIDS, (and) of course (the) Global Fund, working closely with their PEPFAR program,” she said.
The State Department on Wednesday declined to comment on Byanyima’s remarks.
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