A new report published by UNAIDS today demonstrates the value of fully investing in the HIV response.
UNAIDS modeling shows that US investment of $ 29 billion annually in HIV response in low- and middle-income countries by 2025 will put the world back on track to end AIDS by 2030. The investment, paid for by both donors and the richest countries. most would be affected by the HIV epidemic, leading to a significant drop in new HIV infections, from 1.7 million in 2019 to 370 000 in 2025, and annual AIDS-related deaths falling from 690 000 in 2019 to 250 000 in 2025. The number of newborns HIV infections among children will fall from 150 000 in 2019 to less than 22 000 in 2025.
In 2016, countries in the United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS agreed to invest US $ 26 billion in HIV response by 2020. Resources came in low- and middle-income countries to a high in 2017 but started to decline in 2018, with just US $ 19.8 billion available in 2019 – just 76% of the 2020 target. As a result, none of the global programming targets were exceeded. set to achieve 2020. And failing to meet the targets has come at a terrible human cost: an additional 3.5 million people died of HIV and an additional 820 000 died of AIDS-related illnesses between 2015 and 2020.
“We are not on track to end AIDS by 2030,” said Jose A. Izazola, UNAIDS Special Advisor, Resource Management and Finance. “But our modeling shows that spending wisely and focusing investment in the right place and getting us on the path to ending AIDS by 2030 will have amazing results.”
Failure to meet the 2020 targets will require spending to increase, to a high of US $ 29 billion by 2025.
The investments will be made in a number of areas. There will be much larger investments in HIV prevention services, where investments will almost double, from estimated US costs of $ 5.3 billion in 2019 to US $ 9.5 billion in 2025, with a particular focus on key numbers, to stop put on the new 1.7 million. HIV infections that still occur every year.
Expanding HIV treatment at a low additional financial cost can bring significant benefits. Modeling shows that a small 17% increase (US $ 1.3 billion additional) in testing and treatment facilities by 2025 will enable a 35% increase in the number of people treated, to 32 million people.
Consumption in social enablers – rooted factors in society as a whole that alter the effectiveness of HIV programs: access to justice and law reform, stigma and discrimination and gender equality, leads to including gender-based violence – more than double, from US $ 1.3 billion in 2019 to US $ 3.1 billion in 2025, and growth to 11% of total resource needs.
“We can never repeat the mistakes of the past,” Mr Izazola said. “Now is the time to invest.”