The US government is ending its support for a United Nations program funding HIV/AIDS relief around the world, dealing a blow to African nations that have depended on it for decades.
The Trump administration said the move, in line with a wider US withdrawal from the global aid landscape, aligns with the country’s “national interest.”
About two-thirds of global AIDS relief comes from the US, most of it through the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, which was set up in 2003 by then-President George W. Bush.
South Africa is among the countries likely to be the worst hit: Up to 8 million people in the country are estimated to be living with HIV and the head of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation warned that more than 500,000 could die over the next decade due to the US funding cuts.
Image: A chart showing share of population living with HIV for several countries.
