Ending the AIDS crisis is within reach – but the UK has to lead the way by not cutting key funding

Aid cuts by the US, and planned cuts by the UK, risk undermining decades of progress and could put millions of lives in danger, writes Beccy Cooper

For more than three decades, the United Kingdom has stood at the forefront of the global fight against HIV and AIDS. At a time when the world faced one of the deadliest public health crises in history, UK development policy, funding, and diplomacy became a backbone of the international response.

Ending AIDS globally by 2030 is in now in reach. But that cannot be put in jeopardy. Modelling from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and their "Fast-Track" approach highlighted that scaling up prevention and treatment could avert 28 million infections and 21 million deaths by 2030. The benefits would extend beyond health systems – into economies, families, and entire generations.

Over the last year, development funding has been cut so drastically, particularly from the US, that it has become necessary to regularly remind ourselves that the current situation is not normal, and that for decades, the UK was a leading contributor to a well-coordinated and cooperative response to one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

In the 2000s, the UK co-founded both the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Unitaid – two fundamental organisations in the global HIV response. Health programmes supported by the Global Fund have saved 70 million lives, while Unitaid has worked to ensure health innovations are affordable and accessible to the communities who need them most. In 2024, this resulted in lenacapavir, an HIV prevention tool, becoming available, following regulatory approvals, at a cost of $40 (£29) a year in 120 low- and middle-income countries.

By also supporting the broader HIV ecosystem that includes other critical institutions like UNAIDS and the Robert Carr Fund, the UK has demonstrated what can be achieved through global partnerships powered by communities, science, solidarity and sustained investment.

But recent cuts to development funding are jeopardising these historical efforts.

The UK’s decision to cut Official Development Assistance to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) means the UK’s ability to fund even impactful and effective institutions is massively constrained. While the UK prioritised the Global Fund as a development "best buy" and made a significant pledge at the replenishment summit co-hosted by the UK last year – it still involved a 15 per cent reduction from the last pledge, to £850 million.

At a time when the US has cut critical funding for HIV programmes, analysis suggesting permanent discontinuation could result in an additional 4.2 million AIDS-related deaths between 2025 and 2029, the UK’s decision risks undermining decades of investment in the HIV response and broader health security and development. It is fundamental for both the future of the HIV response, and of global health more widely, that the UK shows leadership towards a return to increased investment for global health programming.

As the UK looks to a modern approach to development based on genuine partnerships in a year where it will likely host a conference of development cooperation, the HIV architecture offers decades of experience, showing what global partnership based on the principles of collaboration, inclusivity, and equity can achieve.

We are currently awaiting the announcement of the UK’s funding to Unitaid, UNAIDS and Robert Carr Fund. Alongside the Global Fund, these organisations form the backbone of the global HIV response – supporting them is critical if we are to end AIDS as a public health threat.

And it's not only funding. Political commitments are vital to demonstrate the UK’s prioritisation of ending AIDS and support of global health cooperation that has achieved incredible success in reducing AIDS-related deaths globally, supported communities worldwide, enhanced UK health security and delivered strong value for money.

The Covid-19 pandemic was a stark reminder that "none of us are safe until we are all safe", encapsulating our mutual responsibility to take collective action on global health. This alone is enough of a reason for the UK to show leadership. Yet, for many people living with HIV, Covid-19 was also a poignant reminder of the hard-won resilience that comes from surviving and living with the impact of the AIDS pandemic.

Ending AIDS is a political choice. No ifs or buts. And we, in the UK must not forget our legacy. But most importantly, we cannot become complacent and risk the reversal of decades of progress. Rather, we should learn from these difficult lessons and properly fund the global HIV response to ensure we can end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Dr Beccy Cooper is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health and Security and the Labour MP for Worthing West

This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project