Will UNAIDS sunset by 2030?

UNAIDS is significantly reducing its global footprint and “eventually plans to close down,” according to a report set to be discussed by the U.N. joint program's board at its meeting next week. The report presents UNAIDS’ new operating model, which reflects UNAIDS’ ongoing restructuring amid significantly reduced donor funding and calls for changes within the joint program and the broader U.N. system. The new model is described as “agile and flexible to absorb further change” and is expected to take effect by January 2026. During this period, the UNAIDS secretariat will operate with less than half of the staff it has now, downsize its country offices, and deprioritize a significant number of its current activities. But by the end of 2027, UNAIDS is expected to undergo another major transformation, one that could lead to the closure of its secretariat. “At the end of 2027, if the [HIV] pandemic is moving in the right direction and the global response is progressing well, the UNAIDS Secretariat can undertake greater mergers and consolidations with Cosponsors and transfer some functions to countries and other entities such as [the Africa CDC]” according to the document. The UNAIDS executive director, in consultation with the program’s cosponsors and based on further direction from the UN80 reforms, will also present a plan in June 2027 to its board “to further transform, consolidate and integrate the Joint Programme with a view to closing down the UNAIDS Secretariat by 2030.” The plan will be discussed by UNAIDS' board next week and further reviewed in 2027, a UNAIDS spokesperson told Devex. The new operating model While much progress has been made to bring down HIV cases and AIDS-related deaths over the decades, progress is uneven across countries and regions. In some places, new HIV infections are on the rise. Advocates fear recent donor funding cuts, particularly from the U.S., would wipe out progress. UNAIDS estimates that if HIV programs supported by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, are permanently discontinued, it would lead to an additional 6.6 million new HIV infections and an additional 4.2 million AIDS-related deaths. Against this backdrop, however, the UNAIDS secretariat is forced to reduce its staff by 55% and move a significant portion of the remaining positions outside of Geneva. A detailed organizational chart, seen by Devex, shows that the majority of staff will be working in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Bangkok, and Bonn. Only 20 people will be left in Geneva, including some members of the executive office and governance team, a senior adviser on data, and two members of the resource mobilization team, including its director. Teams working on communications and partnerships will all be based in Johannesburg. The secretariat will continue to have liaison offices in the U.S. and China, although they will also be significantly reduced. In the U.S., the office will scale down from eight people to three, including one director in New York, a senior adviser, and an associate in Washington, D.C. The secretariat is massively scaling down its country presence, too. It will have eight country offices, most will be staffed by three to five people, except for the office in Ethiopia, which will serve as a liaison office with the African Union, with seven employees, including one admin support and one driver/clerk. Ten country offices will downsize, leaving only one senior coordinator integrated into the U.N. Resident Coordinator’s Office in the country. This includes countries such as the Philippines, where there’s growing concern about rising HIV cases. Meanwhile, 11 multicountry offices — nine located in sub-Saharan Africa — will provide support to a total of 29 countries. Outstanding questions The new model, however, leaves some outstanding questions, for example, whether UNAIDS will retain its two deputy executive directors. The organigram shows only one assistant secretary-general leading UNAIDS global practice based in Nairobi or Johannesburg. A UNAIDS spokesperson told Devex that “there will be one ASG in the revised model,” but declined to name the individual, saying only that “recommendations will be made in due course to the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General.” It’s also unclear who will hold the other new positions. Country directors, for example, will have to reapply as part of the new structure. Other outstanding questions include which organizations will become UNAIDS’ lead and affiliate cosponsors. A high-level panel convened last year to assess how the joint program can become more fit for purpose recommended a smaller UNAIDS secretariat and fewer cosponsors that will have access to the program’s core funding. But some see the exercise as futile, arguing that whoever has some capacity left will lead. It’s also unclear why some countries facing an increase in HIV infections, such as Egypt, are missing from the organigram — and what happens in cases of emergency or an outbreak where a coordinated HIV response would be needed. The UNAIDS spokesperson told Devex that the decision to maintain a presence in certain countries is “based on epidemiological considerations amongst other factors which we need to balance when considering our presence.” There’s also a question of whether cosponsoring organizations will have the capacity to lead on the activities that UNAIDS is deprioritizing, such as in the areas of HIV prevention and treatment. The World Health Organization, for instance, is proposed to lead several aspects of that work, but the agency is also facing its own financial challenges. According to the UNAIDS document, “Cosponsors have expressed a willingness to consider these proposed responsibilities, subject to their organizational restructuring processes and developments related to the UN80 initiative.” However, one cosponsor official said this has not been discussed and questioned how they would be able to take on more work without resources. Consponsor organizations are also dealing with financial constraints and reprioritization. “We cannot take on more work with less money. It is simply not possible,” the cosponsor official said. The secretariat had transferred $17.8 million for cosponsor activities as of March 2025. But further transfers are now “subject to availability of new contributions for 2025.” And if future core funding declines to less than $60 million, it says it won’t be able to allocate any resources to cosponsors. Post-2027 The secretariat could further downsize after 2027. The report says the “UNAIDS Secretariat plans to further reduce, consolidate and integrate within the UN, while also supporting the delivery of the SDG 3.3 mandate. After a careful review, it will consider integrating the rest of the UNAIDS country presence into the Resident Coordinator Offices,” and become “a small global hub to promote global leadership and coordinate the global HIV response.” That hub could be hosted by one of its cosponsors, the U.N. Development Coordination Office, or another multilateral entity. The idea of shuttering the UNAIDS secretariat by 2030, however, has received mixed reactions. Some said the secretariat should be further downsizing now, given its dire financial situation. The restructuring, which includes relocating staff, will cost the organization — unless it further cuts down senior-level positions. But some said the cost will be offset by the lower cost of operations. A representative of the UNAIDS Staff Association told Devex that while there’s still a lot to be done to reach the end of AIDS in countries, “it is unfortunate to see suggestions of [the] secretariat winding up coming from co-sponsors and development partners who had come together to form this brilliantly successful program before reaching [the] finishing line.” The representative argued UNAIDS is “needed more than ever now” given the reductions in external funding for the AIDS response and push back on rights in a lot of places.