UNAIDS calls for radical change in Africa amid international aid cuts
via SeneNews4 min read
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima has urged African governments to re-evaluate their health spending priorities and implement "radical change" following a 25% reduction in UNAIDS funding last year. This decline in international humanitarian aid, stemming from cuts by Western countries including the US, France, Germany, and the UK, has severely impacted the fight against diseases like HIV/AIDS. Byanyima emphasized the need for Africa to adapt its health systems to achieve health sovereignty, advocating for increased regional integration and local drug production. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 64% of people living with HIV globally, with 60% of new infections last year occurring on the continent. Byanyima also highlighted a "serious regression in human rights" for people living with HIV, which discourages testing and treatment. She noted that only about 20 of 54 African countries do not criminalize same-sex relations, contributing to stigmatization. Despite these challenges, Byanyima expressed optimism about ending AIDS as a public health threat, citing new innovations like lenacapavir, a long-acting treatment that can be administered twice a year. While over 6,000 people in five African countries received lenacapavir by March 2026, Byanyima called for 20 million people to access this treatment and urged its developer, Gilead, to facilitate broader production through licensing. A South African laboratory is set to produce a generic version of lenacapavir, which studie
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
Must ReadA recent Food and Agriculture Organization FAO report indicates that 20% of Africa's population suffers from undernourishment, despite a slight global decrease in hunger. Last year, 645 million people, or 7.8% of the world's population, experienced hunger, a figure that could rise due to conflicts in the Middle East and climate shocks. FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu stated that this 7.8% prevalence, the lowest ever recorded, shows that "hunger is not inevitable," but progress remains limited, uneven, and fragile. Africa is particularly affected, with 20% of its population experiencing chronic calorie deficiency. While the situation improved after the post-COVID economic crisis, it has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The FAO projects that between 510 and 520 million people will be undernourished by 2030, with over half in Africa. David Laborde, Director of the Agri-Food Economics Division at the FAO, noted that the "center of gravity of hunger has shifted from Asia to Africa." He highlighted the resilience of farmers and food systems in preventing major famines despite international conflicts, climate shocks, and the COVID-19 pandemic, but warned of limited absorption capacity. Climate shocks are severely felt in Africa, and conflicts in Sudan, the Sahel region, and the Democratic Republic of Congo also impact access to land and income. The post-COVID economic rebound has created a "more unequal economic world," with growth not benefiting everyone. In addition to hunger,
Must ReadDonald Trump stated that Iran would pay "many times over" for each American soldier killed, following the recent deaths of US military personnel in the Middle East. The former President announced this on his Truth Social network, indicating he had conveyed this directive to his military officials. Trump is scheduled to visit a military base in Delaware on Tuesday evening to receive the bodies of the recently killed soldiers, as confirmed by his spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on X. Three American service members have died in the Middle East in recent days: two on Friday from Iranian strikes in Jordan, with one still missing, and a third during the destruction of enemy munitions in Iraq. Trump had previously stated on Sunday that American strikes conducted on the same day were in honor of these soldiers.
Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish Football League, has accused FIFA of "destroying the football industry" following discussions about a potential 64-team World Cup in 2030. In an interview with an Italian sports daily, Tebas also stated that Gianni Infantino's time as FIFA president "is over," denouncing a "fundamentally flawed system" that has allowed him to lead FIFA for a decade. Tebas argued that increasing the number of national teams makes no sense, emphasizing that the football industry is not solely about the World Cup. He highlighted that the industry generates tens of thousands of jobs, unlike a 40-day event that involves only a minority of players. Tebas expressed concerns about the competition calendar and stressed that national competitions sustain the sport. He called for fewer national teams and better protection for national football at all levels, criticizing FIFA's irresponsible decision-making. Gianni Infantino had previously mentioned discussions about expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, which would be hosted across multiple countries including Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin also expressed in April that such a format was "not a good idea for the World Cup nor for our qualifications."