On 22–23 June 2026, United Nations Member States will gather in New York for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS (UNHLM). The meeting is considered one of the most important political processes in the global HIV response and will serve as a test of commitment to a human rights-based and evidence-informed approach to global health.

The meeting, co-facilitated by Botswana and Georgia and taking place 25 years after the historic 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, aims to adopt a new Political Declaration. This declaration is expected to outline the steps necessary to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For many years, ending AIDS seemed within reach for the first time. Millions gained access to prevention services and life-saving treatment. UNAIDS played a crucial role by setting standards and ensuring that people living with HIV and their communities were meaningfully involved in the planning and implementation of programmes. As a result, services became better aligned with actual needs: children were born free of HIV, people who use drugs received support, and prevention structures for men who have sex with men and other LGBTIQ+ communities were strengthened. The active participation of people living with HIV also helped extend access to health services to populations often underserved by mainstream health systems. This approach was built on the recognition of health as a human right and on efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination.

These achievements were not inevitable and they are now under threat

What begins with a lack of access to testing can have far-reaching consequences for individuals, their communities, and the broader HIV response. Every year, around 570,000 people still die from AIDS-related causes, and 1.2 million people still acquire HIV. Every missed test, interrupted prevention service, or delayed treatment increases the risk that preventable illnesses, new infections, and deaths will rise again.

Developments over recent months have shown how quickly progress can stall when political support, funding, and access to health services decline. This makes the political signals sent by the international community in the coming years all the more important.

Even the negotiations on the modalities of the meeting demonstrated that key achievements of the global HIV response can no longer be taken for granted. Russia introduced proposals aimed at restricting civil society participation and limiting references to key populations most affected by HIV. There were also debates over whether human rights, gender-related language, and sexual and reproductive health and rights should be explicitly included. Representatives of the United States additionally called for references to the Sustainable Development Goals to be removed.

These discussions reflect growing political polarization within multilateral processes. Once again, substantive policy discussions are being undermined by short-term political interests.

UNAIDS Update shows progress is at risk

The latest UNAIDS update on the global HIV epidemic, Global AIDS Brief 2026: United to End AIDS, highlights what is at stake. The report marks a turning point for the global HIV response, where the choice is between building on hard-won achievements or allowing them to be reversed. What happens next depends on political decisions. The declaration adopted in New York will indicate the direction the global HIV response will take in the years ahead.

Despite current challenges, the HIV response remains one of the greatest success stories in global health. Since 2010, AIDS-related deaths have declined by 56% to 570,000. New HIV infections have fallen by 43% to 1.2 million. Of the 40.9 million people living with HIV worldwide, 32.1 million (78%) are now receiving antiretroviral therapy.

This is a story of global solidarity. Yet nearly nine million people still lack access to treatment. In regions such as West and Central Africa, where HIV programmes depend on external funding for around 90% of their budgets due to poverty and high debt burdens, interruptions in support could result in treatment disruptions, rising infection rates, and increased mortality.

Decline in Official Development Assistance

Global development assistance fell by 23% in 2025—the largest decline ever recorded. HIV programmes in low-income countries that rely heavily on external funding were particularly affected. Between 2024 and 2025, HIV testing in high-burden countries declined by 22%. At the same time, funding for condoms was cut by more than 90% in some cases. The use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) fell by 38% across 62 reporting countries.

Human Rights Under Pressure

UNAIDS also warns of increasing criminalization of marginalized populations. For the first time since data collection began, the number of such laws is rising again.

“The criminalization of populations at higher risk of HIV remains widespread globally. Sex work is criminalized in 168 countries, possession of small amounts of drugs in 152 countries, same-sex sexual relations in 66 countries, and transgender people or their identities in 14 countries. The non-disclosure of HIV status, potential HIV exposure, or HIV transmission is criminalized or prosecuted under general criminal laws in 156 countries, despite limited scientific evidence that such laws reduce HIV transmission” (Global AIDS Brief, p. 20). Discrimination and criminalization significantly hinder access to testing, prevention, and treatment, thereby contributing to the continued spread of HIV. Ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 remains achievable, but only if the international community makes the right political choices now. In the lead-up to the UNHLM, Action against AIDS Germany has advocated for strong participation of communities and civil society and will join the official German delegation together with representatives of the German AIDS Federation and the German Foundation for World Population.

For the UNHLM, we call for:

• Reliable and long-term financing of the global HIV response
• Universal access to HIV testing, prevention, treatment, and care within the framework of Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
• A clear commitment to a human rights-based and evidence-informed HIV response
• Strengthened participation of communities and civil society
• Protection of human rights
• Explicit recognition of the key populations most affected by HIV
• Protection and expansion of community-led HIV, prevention, and support services

Contact

Peter Wiessner, Advocacy and Communications Officer and member of the official German delegation to the 2026 UN High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, will be attending the meeting in New York and is available for interviews, background briefings, and expert commentary.

Phone/WhatsApp: +49 (0)176 82 188 269

Email: wiessner@aktionsbuendnis-aids.de

The Action against AIDS Germany office in Berlin can be reached at: +49 (0)30 279 099 97 info@aktionsbuendnis-aids.de

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