Latest news with #WinnieByanyima
Euronews
06-05-2025
- Health
- Euronews
UNAIDS to slash workforce as funding by United States and other donors disappears
ADVERTISEMENT The UN agency that fights HIV plans to slash its workforce by more than half and move many posts to cheaper locations as a result of drastic funding cuts from long-time donors in the United States, Asia and Europe, the agency and staffers have said. UNAIDS said "the overall global AIDS response is facing a severe shock and many of the gains made in the past few decades are at risk of being reversed." It said the restructuring follows an independent panel's recommendations calling for "downsizing" its secretariat in Geneva while continuing to "prioritise the most essential functions." It said it would maintain its presence in 36 countries. The headquarters of the World Health Organization and UNAIDS in Geneva, 8 April, 2019 AP Photo Drastic US cuts in assistance under the Trump administration, part of wider cuts for global health, strike perhaps the biggest blow ever to the world's efforts to fight HIV. UNAIDS had previously warned that unless support to its HIV efforts are restored soon, more than six million people could die in the next four years and an additional 2,000 people per day could become infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Employees were told at an internal town hall on Tuesday that staff will be reduced to around 280-300 from about 600 currently, participants said. UNAIDS officials were considering plans to move many posts to lower-cost locations where it already has offices: in Bonn, Germany; Nairobi, Kenya; or Johannesburg, South Africa, the country with the world's highest number of AIDS cases, agency spokesperson Charlotte Sector said. Related UNAIDS chief urges Donald Trump to make an 'amazing deal' to end HIV 'People are going to die': HIV infections could surge if US support is dropped, UNAIDS chief says UN agencies slash jobs, warn of impact to services amid US funding cuts, officials say UNAIDS was created in 1996, largely to address shortcomings in global HIV policy by another UN health agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO), which continues to partially fund it. The United States, under the second Trump administration, has sharply reduced or paused international funding and support for many UN-related agencies. In an in February in response to the US cuts, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said HIV infections could jump more than six times by 2029 if US support of the biggest AIDS programme is dropped. She warned that more resistant strains of the disease could emerge. Byanyima acknowledged some valid criticism regarding how HIV aid has been delivered and called it "an opportunity to rethink and develop more efficient ways of delivering life-saving support." Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, speaks during a press conference in Geneva, 24 March, 2025 AP Photo According to its website, support from the United States contributed more than 40% of the UNAIDS core program and non-core activities that totalled about $214 million (€188 million) in 2023, the most recent year listed. Other top contributors included the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. ADVERTISEMENT In April, the World Food Programme (WFP) and other UN agencies said they would have to slash jobs because of funding cuts, mainly from the United States, warning the reductions would severely affect aid programmes worldwide. Other bodies like UNICEF, the UN children's agency, and OCHA, the humanitarian agency, also announced cuts that would impact around 20% of staff and overall budgets. The cuts to the UN agencies underscore the impact of President Donald Trump's decision to pull the US back from its position as the world's single largest aid donor.
Toronto Sun
06-05-2025
- Health
- Toronto Sun
UNAIDS to slash workforce by more than half as funding by U.S. and other big donors disappears
Published May 06, 2025 • 2 minute read Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, speaks during a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2025. Photo by Roman Levchkenko / AP GENEVA — The UN agency that fights HIV plans to slash its workforce by more than half and move many posts to cheaper locations as a result of drastic funding cuts from longtime donors in the United States, Asia and Europe, the agency and staffers told The Associated Press on Tuesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account UNAIDS said 'the overall global AIDS response is facing a severe shock and many of the gains made in the past few decades are at risk of being reversed.' It said the restructuring follows an independent panel's recommendations calling for 'downsizing' its secretariat in Geneva while continuing to 'prioritize the most essential functions.' It said it would maintain its presence in 36 countries. Drastic U.S. cuts in assistance under the current Trump administration, part of wider cuts for global health, strike perhaps the biggest blow ever to the world's efforts to fight HIV. UNAIDS had previously warned that unless support to its HIV efforts are restored soon, more than 6 million additional people could die in the next four years and an additional 2,000 people per day could become infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Employees were told at an internal town hall Tuesday that staff will be reduced to about 280 to 300 from about 600 currently, participants said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. UNAIDS officials were considering plans to move many posts to lower-cost locations where it already has offices: in Bonn, Germany; Nairobi, Kenya; or Johannesburg, South Africa — the country with the world's highest number of AIDS cases, agency spokesperson Charlotte Sector told the AP. The agency was created in 1996, largely to address shortcomings in global HIV policy by another UN health agency, the World Health Organization, which continues to partially fund UNAIDS. The United States, under the second Trump administration, has sharply reduced or paused international funding and support for many UN-related organizations. In an interview with the AP in February in response to the U.S. cuts, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said HIV infections could jump more than six times by 2029 if American support of the biggest AIDS program is dropped. She warned that more resistant strains of the disease could emerge. Byanyima acknowledged some valid criticism regarding how HIV aid has been delivered and called it 'an opportunity to rethink and develop more efficient ways of delivering life-saving support.' According to its website, support from the United States contributed more than 40% of the UNAIDS core program and non-core activities that totaled about $214 million in 2023, the most recent year listed. Other top contributors included the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. — AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report.
Winnipeg Free Press
06-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
UNAIDS to slash workforce by more than half as funding by US and other big donors disappears
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. agency that fights HIV plans to slash its workforce by more than half and move many posts to cheaper locations as a result of drastic funding cuts from longtime donors in the United States, Asia and Europe, the agency and staffers told The Associated Press on Tuesday. UNAIDS said 'the overall global AIDS response is facing a severe shock and many of the gains made in the past few decades are at risk of being reversed.' It said the restructuring follows an independent panel's recommendations calling for 'downsizing' its secretariat in Geneva while continuing to 'prioritize the most essential functions.' It said it would maintain its presence in 36 countries. Drastic U.S. cuts in assistance under the current Trump administration, part of wider cuts for global health, strike perhaps the biggest blow ever to the world's efforts to fight HIV. FILE - Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, speaks during a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 24, 2025. (Roman Levchkenko/UNAIDS via AP, file) UNAIDS had previously warned that unless support to its HIV efforts are restored soon, more than 6 million additional people could die in the next four years and an additional 2,000 people per day could become infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Employees were told at an internal town hall Tuesday that staff will be reduced to about 280 to 300 from about 600 currently, participants said. UNAIDS officials were considering plans to move many posts to lower-cost locations where it already has offices: in Bonn, Germany; Nairobi, Kenya; or Johannesburg, South Africa — the country with the world's highest number of AIDS cases, agency spokesperson Charlotte Sector told the AP. The agency was created in 1996, largely to address shortcomings in global HIV policy by another U.N. health agency, the World Health Organization, which continues to partially fund UNAIDS. The United States, under the second Trump administration, has sharply reduced or paused international funding and support for many U.N.-related organizations. In an interview with the AP in February in response to the U.S. cuts, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said HIV infections could jump more than six times by 2029 if American support of the biggest AIDS program is dropped. She warned that more resistant strains of the disease could emerge. Byanyima acknowledged some valid criticism regarding how HIV aid has been delivered and called it 'an opportunity to rethink and develop more efficient ways of delivering life-saving support.' According to its website, support from the United States contributed more than 40% of the UNAIDS core program and non-core activities that totaled about $214 million in 2023, the most recent year listed. Other top contributors included the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. ___ AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report.
Shafaq News
02-04-2025
- Health
- Shafaq News
UNAIDS: HIV deaths to surge without US funding
Shafaq News/ Up to 6.3 million people could die from AIDS-related illnesses by 2027 if the United States fails to restore suspended humanitarian funding, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warned. The funding freeze, announced by the White House on January 20 and currently under review, is already disrupting critical HIV services globally, especially in Africa, according to UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. Byanyima flagged collapsing clinic operations, depleted medical supplies, and mass layoffs of health workers, projecting as many as 8.7 million new HIV infections by 2027—sharply up from 1.3 million in 2023—if the suspension continues. She also urged President Donald Trump to reverse the decision, referencing former President George W. Bush's legacy in launching the US-funded PEPFAR initiative, stating, 'We urge for a reconsideration and an urgent restoration of services – life-saving services.' The executive director emphasized the absence of alternative donors stepping in to close the funding gap, warning that the consequences would be severe without immediate action. #VIH / #SIDA « Si l'aide américaine n'est pas rétablie et qu'aucun autre financement ne vient combler ce vide, alors, dans les quatre prochaines années, 6,3 millions de décès supplémentaires liés au sida sont à prévoir. » - @Winnie_Byanyima, Directrice exécutive d' #ONUSIDA — ONU Genève (@ONUGeneve) March 24, 2025 In eastern and southern Africa—regions accounting for over half of global HIV cases—young women and adolescent girls remain most at risk, representing over 60% of new infections. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where 520,000 people live with HIV, US support through PEPFAR was expected to provide treatment for at least 209,000 people in 2025. That $105 million allocation now hangs in the balance. Susan Kasedde, UNAIDS country director in the DRC, reported that hospitals are under strain, supply chains are faltering, and thousands could lose access to essential care. The funding freeze aligns with broader cuts to US humanitarian aid. UNHCR, IOM, and UNICEF have all reported major shortfalls, with refugee support, migrant assistance, and child survival services severely impacted in high-risk regions such as eastern DRC. Beyond Africa, the Middle East and North Africa face a rapidly growing HIV crisis. Frontline AIDS reported a 116% surge in cases since 2010, including a 600% increase in Egypt. The region received just 1% of global HIV funding in 2023 and operates on only 15% of the needed resources. 'The region risks being left behind,' said Golda Eid, programme lead at Frontline AIDS. 'There is still an opportunity to save lives and build a future free from AIDS, but the time to act is now.' Meanwhile, Mohammed El Khammas, head of international actions at the organization, warned that limited testing and persistent stigma are likely obscuring the full scale of the epidemic. Globally, UNAIDS estimates that 40 million people are living with HIV. In 2023 alone, 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses. The agency called on governments and international donors to increase funding and adopt national strategies to combat stigma and discrimination.
Express Tribune
30-03-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Aid cut and impact
Listen to article The recent cuts to US-backed foreign aid are feared to have devastating impacts on global health, particularly regarding the HIV/AIDS work done so far. In an extremely worrying proposition, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima has said the funding cuts could undo all the incredible progress humanity has made tackling AIDS, estimating that it could translate into 2,000 new HIV infections every day. It is also estimated that about 6.3 million people around the world will die of AIDS-related causes in the next four years if alternate funding is not secured. USAID, which has now been subject to Trump's cost-cutting agenda, has also played a crucial role in Pakistan's social sector. An approximate budget of $2.5 billion in USAID funding between 2010 and 2023 has significantly supported healthcare, humanitarian, education, infrastructural and economic programmes in the country. But the funding freeze now particularly risks over 210,000 lives of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Pakistan, instigating a severe public health crisis. As an example in the context, the Sindh Rural Support Organization, a not-for-profit company working for poverty alleviation in Pakistan, is forced to shut down all three of its US-sponsored health initiatives after aid cessation. This is merely three of 60 US-funded health facilities having suffered closure in the country. In 2024, an HIV-prevention drug, lenacapavir, tested to be 100% effective, was declared 'breakthrough of the year' by leading scientists. Its administration of a single injection per year made it affordable for low-income countries such as Pakistan, but funding cuts have marginally disrupted what was supposed to be the virtual elimination of HIV in the global South as well as the rest of the world. However, despite grave ramifications on public health, many view the crisis as a wake-up call for Pakistan, calling it an opportunity for the country to reallocate its resources, reshape its priorities and be incentivised to move towards self-sufficiency. There is need for the stakeholders to work towards this end.
