For UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, the report comes at a crucial time. The evidence it provides should serve as a catalyst for policy decisions to ensure full funding for HIV; full funding would have far-reaching socio-economic repercussions and will be a step for African countries towards building more resilient and better prepared health systems to prevent future pandemics “. Investments in the epidemic would also promote education, especially for young women and girls, reduce gender inequalities and boost economic growth.
Strengthening Equity, Societies and Economies
« Bold choices are needed today to accelerate investments and capitalize on these decisions in HIV and health to strengthen equity, societies and economies “, underlined the boss of UNAIDS. Furthermore, increasing current investments in HIV would contribute to broader and sustainable economic gains by 2030, and thereby free up resources to address other critical health challenges. According to US Global AIDS Coordinator John N. Nkengasong, political, programmatic and financial will is needed to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.
A hefty health bill
The findings of this report come as recent global crises, including COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, have hampered efforts to tackle the HIV epidemic. A situation that has weighed heavily on funding for health and other sustainable development goals. The report quantifies the hefty bill for health, societies and economies if the funds needed to end AIDS by 2030 are not mobilized as a public health threat. To assess these negative impacts, Economist Impact compared the scenario where the necessary financial resources were fully covered to meet the targets of the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS and the scenario where HIV funding and service levels are maintained at the current level. The worsening of pre-existing socio-economic and health inequalities will be felt most among young women, children and the vulnerable population.
Over 3.5 million AIDS deaths can be prevented
Fiscal challenges faced by African countries have limited their ability to increase domestic funding for the HIV response and overall health budgets. Low- and middle-income countries will need to invest $29 billion each year to meet targets to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, according to UNAIDS. In 2020, funding levels fell, falling almost 30% behind targets. Seven million deaths are due to AIDS, but half can be avoided if the response is fully funded and if the policies go in the right direction, underlines UNAIDS. Global 2025 targets include bringing annual new HIV infections to less than 370,000 (from 1.5 million in 2021), HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women to less than 50,000 and that of deaths linked to an opportunistic disease at less than 250,000 (compared to 650,000 in 2021).