President Trump has immediately frozen funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for 90 days. PEPFAR is the U.S. programme dedicated to combating HIV and AIDS. “The United States will no longer blindly hand out money without it benefiting the American people,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. As a result, all development aid has been halted with immediate effect.
This decision plunges the global HIV and AIDS response into an unprecedented crisis. By suspending funding, access to life-saving medication for millions of people is at risk of being abruptly cut off, leading to new infections and deaths.
Mark Vermeulen, director of Aidsfonds, warned: “The situation is extremely serious. Trump has suspended all senior health officials at USAID, the U.S. development agency. No one is allowed to communicate with the World Health Organization. Clinics that have received funding for HIV medication are no longer permitted to distribute those medications to patients. This is destroying years of progress in the fight against HIV.”
Halting PEPFAR is a strategic blunder. COVID taught us that epidemics do not respect borders
– Mark Vermeulen, director Aidsfonds
PEPFAR accounts for $7.5 billion in annual investments in the global AIDS response. While many countries have been able to increase their own financial contributions in recent years, many nations—especially in Sub-Saharan Africa—remain heavily dependent on PEPFAR. Without this funding, local organisations will be forced to shut down their operations. Since its inception, PEPFAR has provided life-saving care to over 25 million people across 54 countries.
Vermeulen, currently in Washington where he attended the Funders Concerned About AIDS summit, is working with other organisations to raise awareness on the global impact of this crisis. “Halting PEPFAR is a strategic blunder,” Vermeulen stated. “COVID taught us that epidemics do not respect borders. If we don’t do everything possible now to ensure that everyone with HIV receives proper care and medication, the price will be far higher in the future – both in human lives and healthcare costs.”
Sidaction and Aidsfonds are thrilled to announce the awarded proposals of their first joint scientific research grant call, fully focusing on finding a cure for HIV. Our €2 million initiative brings together researchers from France, the Netherlands, and Africa to accelerate progress towards an HIV cure. These are the six granted research proposals:
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Medan faces significant challenges related to stigma and discrimination against PLHIV and the LGBTQI+ community. Access to healthcare services is limited, as many people are hesitant to seek medical help due to fears of rejection and discrimination. HIV issues and LGBTQI+ rights receive little policy attention, with healthcare services lacking inclusivity and minimal public education, worsening the situation for the LGBTQI+ community in addressing HIV in Medan.
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