When Donald Trump signed a $51.4 billon (£37.8bn) foreign aid package earlier this month, including nearly $6bn for the global HIV response, the announcement was framed as a restoration of the key programmes that the US president had slashed when he came back into office at the start of 2025. Congress had rejected proposed cuts and compelled the White House to release funding for programmes that underpin treatment for millions of people.
The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has spoken of the “real bright lights we are starting to see” given the change. The figures looked familiar, with around $9.4bn for global health overall, covering HIV treatment and prevention; tuberculosis and malaria programmes; maternal and child health services and vaccine support – alongside humanitarian assistance.
