WASHINGTON, United States — The United States has approved a massive Sh759 billion funding package for global HIV programmes, signalling a sharp policy turn just weeks after President Donald Trump ordered Washington’s withdrawal from dozens of international and UN-linked organisations.
President Trump signed the bipartisan spending bill into law on February 3, 2026, committing billions of shillings to the global fight against HIV/AIDS through bilateral programmes and multilateral partnerships, including UN-affiliated initiatives.
Under the new law, Sh594 billion has been allocated for bilateral HIV support through the America First Global Health Strategy, while $1.25 billion—about Sh161.4 billion—will go to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
An additional Sh5.8 billion has been earmarked specifically for UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, which coordinates global efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
The move comes barely a month after Trump signed a January 7 memorandum initiating the United States’ withdrawal from 66 international organisations, including 31 UN-related agencies and bodies. The directive ordered federal agencies to halt engagement and funding, arguing the organisations no longer served US national interests.
Among the affected entities were UN Women, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and several regional economic commissions. UNAIDS funding had also been frozen, raising alarm among global health experts.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima welcomed the new funding, describing it as a lifeline for millions of people living with or affected by HIV.
“I thank President Trump and the U.S. Congress for their continued commitment to HIV and global health,” Byanyima said in a statement issued from Geneva on February 5. “This investment will help ensure the global HIV response remains efficient, data-driven, and focused on results for communities most affected.”
The funding will support progress toward the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, which aim to have 95pc of people living with HIV diagnosed, 95pc of those diagnosed on treatment, and 95pc of those on treatment achieving viral suppression. The targets are central to ending AIDS by 2030 under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
For more than two decades, the United States has been the single largest financier of the global HIV response, accounting for roughly two-thirds of international HIV prevention funding in low- and middle-income countries. Much of this support flows through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), launched in 2003, which funds about 70pc of the global AIDS response.
Countries heavily reliant on US support include South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Haiti, all among the world’s most HIV-affected regions.
The US has been a key partner of UNAIDS since its establishment in 1996 and recently renewed its membership in the Programme Coordinating Board through 2028. UNAIDS brings together 11 UN agencies, including WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, and the World Bank, to coordinate the global response.
UNAIDS said it would use the renewed funding to strengthen country-led HIV responses, improve data systems, and deliver targeted technical support to communities most at risk.
