UNAIDS welcomes an emergency waiver from the United States secretary of state that will allow the continuation of life-saving HIV treatment funded by the U.S. across 55 countries worldwide.

The move from the UN agency dedicated to ending the disease came in response to an immediate 90-day funding pause for all foreign assistance laid out in an Executive Order by President Donald Trump.

This includes the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

PEPFAR is the world’s leading HIV initiative, which directly supports more than 20 million people living with HIV, representing two-thirds of all people receiving HIV treatment globally.

The waiver approves the continuation or resumption of “life-saving humanitarian assistance,” which applies to core life-saving medicine and medical services, including HIV treatment and supplies necessary to deliver such aid.

“UNAIDS welcomes this waiver from the U.S. government, which ensures that millions of people living with HIV can continue to receive life-saving HIV medication during the assessment of U.S. foreign development assistance,” UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima said in a statement.

Ms Byanyima added, “This urgent decision recognises PEPFAR’s critical role in the AIDS response and restores hope to people living with HIV.”

The funding pause of development assistance for “assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy” was one of the new administration’s first major foreign policy decisions.

UNAIDS will continue efforts to ensure that all people living with or affected by HIV are served.

It would also ensure that other key components of PEPFAR’s life-saving efforts, including service delivery and services for HIV prevention, care, and support for orphans and vulnerable children, are continued.

Earlier, the UN World Health Organisation expressed deep concern about the implications of the funding pause for HIV programmes in low and middle-income countries.

These programmes provide access to life-saving HIV therapy to more than 30 million people worldwide. Globally, 39.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023.

According to WHO, PEPFAR has been a flagship initiative of the global HIV response since its establishment over 20 years ago. Any funding pause for PEPFAR would directly impact millions of lives that depend on the predictable supply of safe and effective antiretroviral treatment.

PEPFAR works in over 50 countries around the world and has saved more than 26 million lives over the past two decades.

Currently, PEPFAR is providing HIV treatment for more than 20 million people living with HIV globally, including 566,000 children under 15 years of age.

WHO said that over the past year, PEPFAR and partners, including WHO, “have been working on sustainability plans with countries for greater country ownership and reduced donor support up to and beyond 2030.”

A sudden and prolonged stop to programmes would hamper a managed transition and put the lives of millions at risk.

The agency reiterated its commitment to supporting PEPFAR and other partners, as well as national governments, in managing change processes effectively to minimise the impact on people living with HIV.

(NAN)