The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said that the reduction in US foreign aid funding is causing "a lot of confusion" on the ground.
This is reported by Reuters.
"There is a lot of confusion, especially at the community level. Community-level drug delivery, transport services, community-level health workers - all of these services are still affected at the moment," Christine Stegling, UNAIDS deputy executive director in Geneva, told reporters.
Stegling stressed that the situation remains chaotic. After the 90-day suspension of foreign aid by the administration of US President Donald Trump, as well as the suspension of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world's leading HIV initiative.
“We have 5,000 contracts in Ethiopia with health workers funded by US aid. And all of those contracts have been terminated,” Stegling said.
US donations make up the majority of funding for the UN program, which works in 70 countries and leads global efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
On its official website, UNAIDS notes that the importance of the United States’ contribution to the global fight against HIV cannot be overstated. Since its inception in 2003, PEPFAR has saved more than 26 million lives by investing in critical HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programs in 55 countries.
"UNAIDS is responding to current events by mobilizing partners, governments and communities to assess and mitigate the impact of the pause on the continuity of essential HIV services. This portal exists to provide the latest global and national information, data, recommendations and other resources in real time related to the impact of these events on 55 countries around the world and the global response to the HIV epidemic, including Ukraine," the message says.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), accusing the organization of widespread corruption and misuse of funds.
On Friday, February 7, at 23:59 Eastern European Time, all paid staff of the United States Agency for International Development - with some exceptions - will go on administrative leave around the world.
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