At NMAC, global health infrastructure remains a critical priority to protecting our communities and ending the epidemic. Now, global health faces yet another unprecedented threat, as United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has proposed a closure of UNAIDS by the end of 2026. 

This sudden and misguided dismantling would put countless lives in danger, risking increased transmissions and growing death rates from an epidemic that we are so close to ending. As such, we are happy to stand alongside our partners, including Representative Mark Pocan, Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, and the NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board in urging the United Nations to reject this proposal and others like it. 

UNAIDS has served as the world’s coordinating body for HIV and AIDS response and care for over 25 years. Spanning across the globe, UNAIDS aligns the efforts of 11 UN agencies, national governments, donors, and global clinics to prevent new infections and expand access to care. The program is vital to global health infrastructure and has substantially driven down death rates from AIDS. 

Programs like UNAIDS directly strengthen our U.S. public health infrastructure and support domestic organizations in the fight against HIV. Many community-based groups rely on coordination and mobilization from UNAIDS to inform and improve their work here in the United States. By investing in global health, we create stronger diplomatic relationships, promote stability in vulnerable regions, and protect ourselves from future pandemics. 

NMAC remains committed to ensuring that America keeps its promises: to people living with HIV worldwide, to our communities at home, and to the vision of finally ending the HIV epidemic. 

NMAC Signs Letter from Congressman Mark Pocan to UNAIDS Secretary-General, António Guterres

As the Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, Congressman Mark Pocan’s office has sent this letter to the head of UNAIDS. In our commitment to protecting global HIV funding and programs, NMAC is proud to have signed on to this letter.