UNAIDS to slash workforce by more than half as funding by US and other big donors disappears

The UN agency that fights HIV plans to slash its workforce by more than half and move many posts to cheaper locations as a result of drastic funding cuts from longtime donors in the United States, Asia and Europe, the agency and staffers told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

- BY JAMEY KEATEN

UNAIDS said “the overall global AIDS response is facing a severe shock and many of the gains made in the past few decades are at risk of being reversed.” It said the restructuring follows an independent panel's recommendations calling for “downsizing” its secretariat in Geneva while continuing to “prioritize the most essential functions.” It said it would maintain its presence in 36 countries.

Drastic US cuts in assistance under the current Trump administration, part of wider cuts for global health, strike perhaps the biggest blow ever to the world's efforts to fight HIV.