BRASILIA/GENEVA, 19 December 2025—The 57^th Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) meeting concluded in Brazil this week at a time of severe disruptions to the HIV response in many countries and to the work of the UNAIDS Joint Programme. In this context, the Board adopted a new Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 for the world, “United to End AIDS."

“Inaction is not an option. If we stall and fail to reach the targets laid out in the Strategy, 3.3 million more people will be newly infected by 2030. We cannot allow that,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.

During the three-day meeting, board members approved establishing a PCB Working Group to develop a plan and timeline for UNAIDS’ transition and integration into the UN system. The group will ensure meaningful engagement of all relevant constituencies – civil society, governments, Cosponsors, and other partners in-line with the UN80 initiative. “One of our key tasks through the Global AIDS Strategy, the transition of UNAIDS, and UN80 more broadly is to better understand how we can effectively encourage the international community to re-engage,” said Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. “Lives, dignity and hard-won progress are still on the line. UNAIDS has shown what collective action can achieve. This legacy must be protected.”

Throughout the meeting, PCB members and observers expressed deep appreciation for the critical role UNAIDS plays in the HIV response and UNAIDS staff. They spoke with conviction about what dedication means for governments and communities around the world.

“Brazil has reaffirmed, as a central government priority, the elimination of socially determined diseases, including the AIDS epidemic,” said Mariangela Simao, Brazil’s Vice Minister for Health Surveillance and Environment. “This agenda is grounded in our Unified Health System - universal, comprehensive and free of charge - which guarantees prevention, diagnosis and treatment across a country of continental scale and deep regional diversity,” she said.

“We cannot afford to backtrack when we made the promise to the most vulnerable,” said Erica Schouten, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations. "We also cannot walk away at the very moment that the HIV response needs global solidarity more than ever.”

A sentiment echoed by the North America NGO delegate. “The inclusion of NGO voices in UNAIDS is not symbolic, it is foundational to the strength and legitimacy of the Joint Programme,” said Shamin Mohamed Jr. “A premature sunset of international coordination and support is a set-back. If we do things too soon, people’s lives will end too soon as well.”

The board recognized that UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC, and WHO will be lead Cosponsors and ILO, UNESCO, UN Women, WFP and the World Bank will be affiliate Cosponsors.

The Strategy and the 2030 targets will inform the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS in 2026.

UNAIDS thanked its many donors for their steady support and 2025 contributions, including: Australia, Belgium/Flanders, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Monaco, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The meeting’s thematic session on long-acting retrovirals– both for prevention and treatment – demonstrated how they can accelerate progress toward ending AIDS. With political will, financing, community leadership and partnerships, such medicines can transform the response, close the access gaps, and reduce new infections dramatically.

The 57^th PCB was chaired by Brazil and going forward, the Board elected The Netherlands as Chair, the Philippines as Vice-Chair and Kenya as Rapporteur for 2026. The Report to the Board by the UNAIDS Executive Director, and the reports for each agenda item and the PCB’s decisions can be found here.The 58^th meeting of the PCB will take place in Geneva on the 30^th of June to the 2^nd of July 2026.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA, 19 December 2025— UNAIDS notes with concern the adoption of the bill banning so-called LGBTQ “propaganda” in Kazakhstan. While the stated objective of the legislation is the protection of children and traditional values, it may inadvertently restrict access to critical public health information and services, affecting the country’s efforts to end AIDS by 2030.

Kazakhstan has made remarkable progress in strengthening its HIV response. The country is advancing rapidly toward the 95–95–95 targets (95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status; 95% of people who know their HIV status are on treatment and 95% of people on treatment have a suppressed viral load), expanding access to modern treatment for 90% of people living with HIV who knowing their status, and scaling up Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) from 200 to more than 132,000 clients in just two years. Community-led services are now integrated nationwide through social contracting, and the country domestically funds 94% of HIV response— an exceptional demonstration of national ownership and commitment.

Evidence from across the region and globally shows that punitive and restrictive laws increase stigma, discourage people from seeking HIV services, and limit the ability of service providers to deliver essential HIV prevention and reproductive health information. Such measures can push LGBTQ communities underground, creating significant barriers to access prevention, testing and treatment, and increasing the risk of new HIV infections among a population already disproportionately affected by the epidemic.

To safeguard these achievements and protect public health, UNAIDS calls Kazakhstan to reconsider the legislative amendments, ensuring that all people in the country continue access the services they need without fear, stigma, or discrimination.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA, 18 December 2025–UNAIDS congratulates Brazil in attaining the certification for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV as determined by the World Health Organization.

“I am delighted that Brazil has just been certified by WHO-PAHO for eliminating vertical transmission – the first country of more than 100 million people to do so,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director.

“They did it by doing what we know works: prioritising universal healthcare, tackling the social determinants that drive the epidemic, protecting human rights, and even when necessary breaking monopolies to secure access to medicines.”

WHO develops and regularly updates guidance on the criteria and processes for validation of EMTCT of HIV, syphilis and/or Hepatitis B virus. Since 2015, Member States have been able to apply for validation for achieving the reduction of mother-to-child transmission to a level where it is no longer a public health threat or problem.

In the Americas, WHO recognized the dual elimination for Cuba in 2015, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and St. Kitts and Nevis in 2017, and Belize, Jamaica and Saint Vincent in 2024. More recently, the Maldives achieved ‘triple elimination’ of hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis – the first country ever to do so.

A study by Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Brazil’s leading public health research institute, found that the Bolsa Família cash transfer program was linked to significant reductions in AIDS cases and deaths among vulnerable women and children. Analyzing data from over 12 million low-income women, Fiocruz reported that the program was associated with nearly halving AIDS incidence and mortality rates, with the greatest impact seen among women facing multiple vulnerabilities, particularly Afro descendant mothers living in extreme poverty.

“Brazil is the largest country in the world to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV. The advances we celebrate reflect a collective, national, and global effort that has consolidated free access to antiretroviral therapy and modern prevention strategies in the country,” said Braziian Minister of Health, Alexandra Padilha. “Today the public health system guarantees comprehensive care for people living with HIV and strives to expand access to even more efficient treatments.”

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.