Papua New Guinea has long relied on international funding for its HIV response. The island country north of Australia covers only 30% of its HIV spending, with the rest funded by international donors. As global HIV financing declines, critical gaps in HIV prevention, testing and treatment have crept in. 

A sustained rise in HIV infections — which have doubled since 2010 — combined with increasing strain on the health system and challenges linked to declining funding, led the Government of Papua New Guinea to declare a national HIV crisis in June 2025. 

This crisis is increasingly affecting women and children. In 2024, an estimated 2,700 infants acquired HIV—around seven each day—while women account for approximately 60% of adults living with HIV in the country. Only around one quarter of pregnant women living with HIV receive antiretroviral therapy to stay healthy and prevent transmission to their child. 

Declaring the crisis, Minister for Health Elias Kapavore described the situation as “deeply concerning” and pledged to mobilise urgent resources to protect “the next generation of Papua New Guineans”. 

This year, the Government of Papua New Guinea allocated an emergency fund of US$13.5 million (50 million Papua New Guinean kina) for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. The funding will support expanded prevention, increased access to testing and treatment, and strengthened services for pregnant women, children, adolescents and key populations. 

The National Executive Council under the leadership of Prime Minister James Marape approved the funds. 

“UNAIDS welcomes this important step towards a more sustainable AIDS response, while noting that further joint efforts are needed. We are working closely with the Government to implement the emergency response plan, scale up prevention and mobilise urgently needed resources,” said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

“Behind every number is someone like me—a mother, a woman trying her best,” said Blendi, who found out she was living with HIV three years ago. She had feared that she would not live to see her two children grow up. 

Despite being born with a physical disability and facing social stigma, she pursued her education, earned a degree and became the main breadwinner for her family. 

“I am very thankful,” she said. “The medication is there. The doctors are there. They helped me continue living for my children.” 

“This is a shared public health crisis that demands shared responsibility,” said Manoela Manova, UNAIDS Country Director in Papua New Guinea. “Sustaining services—especially for those most at risk—must remain a priority.” 

For families like Blendi’s, the stakes are clear. The systems that made her treatment possible were built over the years and must now be sustained. 

As a community health worker and HIV advocate, Blendi cannot imagine it any other way.