Unitaid remains committed to equitable access to critical health innovations

06 February 2025 — Unitaid is deeply concerned about the potential impact of the unexpected suspension of foreign aid on the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

The sudden changes to global health have greatly limited access to critical health services for all populations at risk of HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and other major drivers of illness and death in low- and middle-income countries. Underserved populations including women and children, and marginalized or vulnerable groups will likely face the most serious consequences.

Although Unitaid has not been directly impacted by funding cuts, we work closely with multilateral organizations, NGOs, communities and civil society partners whose operations have been significantly affected. Moreover, the recent actions are part of a foundational shift that poses challenges to the international aid system and to our collective capacity to address pressing global health issues.

While we are hopeful that the impact of these disruptions will be minimized following the United States’ exemption to the aid freeze in support of lifesaving medicines and medical services, the full impact of these changes on countries, and our partners, implementers, and investments is not yet clear. We have launched an assessment to better understand the implications of these changes and determine how we can best respond in support.

Our commitment to equitable access to optimized health tools remains our top priority. We will continue to work closely with partners, countries and communities to navigate and respond to the abrupt developments in global health funding, access and markets, ensuring continued progress in addressing HIV, TB, malaria, and women’s and children’s health, despite the current challenges.

About Unitaid

We save lives by making new health products available and affordable for people in low- and middle-income countries.

We work with partners to identify innovative treatments, tests and tools, help tackle the market barriers that are holding them back, and get them to the people who need them most – fast.

Since we were created in 2006, we have unlocked access to more than 100 groundbreaking health products to help address the world’s biggest health challenges, including HIV, TB, and malaria; women’s and children’s health; and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

Every year, more than 300 million people benefit from the products we’ve helped roll out.