Ending the AIDS crisis is within reach – but the UK has to lead the way by not cutting key funding
FThe UK has been at the forefront of the global fight against HIV and AIDS for more than three decades. At a time when the world is facing one of the deadliest public health crises in history, the UK’s development policy, finance and diplomacy have become the backbone of the international response.
Ending AIDS globally by 2030 is now possible. But this cannot be jeopardized. Modeling and a “Fast Track” approach from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) highlighted that increasing prevention and treatment could prevent 28 million infections and 21 million deaths by 2030. The benefits will extend beyond health systems to economies, families and entire generations.
Over the past year, development funding has been cut so drastically, particularly from the US, that it has become necessary to regularly remind ourselves that the current situation is not normal and that the UK has for decades been a leading contributor to a well-coordinated and collaborative response to one of the world’s deadliest diseases.
In the 2000s, the UK co-founded the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Unitaid, two key organizations in the global HIV response. While health programs supported by the Global Fund have saved 70 million lives, Unitaid has worked to ensure health innovations are affordable and accessible to the communities most in need. This has resulted in lenacapavir, an HIV prevention tool, becoming available in 120 low- and middle-income countries in 2024, following regulatory approvals, at a cost of US$40 (£29) per year.
The UK has also supported the wider HIV ecosystem, including other critical institutions such as UNAIDS and the Robert Carr Fund, demonstrating what can be achieved through global partnerships underpinned by communities, science, solidarity and sustainable investment.
But recent cuts to development funding are jeopardizing these historic efforts.
The UK’s decision to reduce Official Development Assistance to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) means that the UK’s ability to fund even efficient and effective institutions is greatly restricted. While the UK has prioritized the Global Fund as a “best buy” for development and made a significant commitment at the UK co-hosted regeneration summit last year, this commitment is still down 15 per cent from the last pledge to £850 million.
The UK’s decision risks undermining decades of investment in the fight against HIV and wider health security and development, with analysis suggesting a permanent end could result in a further 4.2 million AIDS-related deaths between 2025 and 2029, at a time when the US is cutting critical funding for HIV programmes. The UK’s leadership on the return on increased investment in global health programs is essential to the future of both the fight against HIV and global health.
As the UK seeks a modern approach to development based on true partnerships, in a year when it is likely to host a development cooperation conference, HIV architecture offers decades of experience, demonstrating what global partnership based on the principles of collaboration, inclusion and equality can achieve.
We are currently awaiting the announcement of the UK’s funding for Unitaid, UNAIDS and the Robert Carr Fund. Alongside the Global Fund, these organizations form the backbone of the global HIV response; Supporting them is critical if we want to end AIDS as a public health threat.
And it’s not just financing. Political commitments are vital to demonstrate that the UK prioritizes ending AIDS and supports the global health collaboration that has had incredible success in reducing AIDS-related deaths globally, supporting communities around the world, improving the UK’s health security and delivering strong value for money.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a stark reminder that “none of us is safe until we are all safe,” encapsulating our shared responsibility to take collective action on global health. This alone is reason enough for England to show leadership. But for many people living with HIV Covid-19 was also a poignant reminder of the hard-won resilience of survival and living with the impact of the AIDS epidemic.
Ending AIDS is a political choice. There’s no if or but. And we in the UK must not forget our heritage. But most importantly, we cannot remain complacent and risk reversing decades of progress. Rather, we must learn from these difficult lessons and appropriately fund the global HIV response so that we can end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Dr Beccy Cooper is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health and Safety and the Labor MP for Worthing West.
This article was produced as part of The Independent. Rethinking Global Aid project
