New Delhi: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have warned that the climate crisis could lead to an increase in HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths. This warning was issued in a new report released at the COP29 Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. The report highlights how climate change could exacerbate existing vulnerabilities to HIV, particularly among the most at-risk populations.
Factors such as weakened public health systems, increased prevalence of diseases associated with HIV, food insecurity, water scarcity, and mass displacement can all contribute to new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, a UNDP press release noted.
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, emphasized the fragility of the progress made in tackling AIDS, warning that the impacts of climate change could easily reverse it. She called for addressing the “triple funding crisis” of AIDS, climate change, and debt, and investing in communities at the forefront of these crises.
The report highlights that many countries heavily affected by climate change also bear a significant burden of HIV. Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly, faces a double challenge, with 3,100 out of 4,000 new HIV infections among young women aged 15 to 24 years occurring in the region. This is compounded by the severe heatwaves and droughts that could render entire regions uninhabitable.
It further points to the fact that almost half of humanity lives in countries spending more on servicing debt than on healthcare. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that 71% of public climate financing comes as loans rather than grants, meaning the climate crisis will only make this problem worse.
While HIV-focused institutions are actively responding, with 70% of funding from the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria allocated to 50 of the most climate-vulnerable countries, these nations are often faced with a triple funding crisis. This includes insufficient climate finance, a US$9.5 billion gap in HIV funding, and the burden of sovereign debt.
The report urges governments to prioritize addressing inequalities, strengthen leadership and governance systems, and ensure sustainable financing to prevent a climate-induced AIDS crisis, the release added.