A coalition of Nigerian civil society organisations has condemned a United Nations proposal to dismantle the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) by 2026, warning it would undermine decades of progress against the epidemic.
In a statement on Sunday, the coalition described the move as “ill-timed and dangerously shortsighted,” stressing that UNAIDS is the only UN body that places communities and civil society at the centre of its mandate.
The statement was endorsed by groups including the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria, Nigeria Key Population Health and Rights Network, International Community of Women Living with HIV – West Africa, and the Civil Society Network for HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.
The coalition said dismantling UNAIDS would risk millions of new HIV infections, weaken donor confidence from partners such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund, and derail efforts to achieve the global target of ending AIDS by 2030.
It also raised questions over who would coordinate the global HIV response if UNAIDS were disbanded, warning that the move signals a retreat from global solidarity and could erode trust in the UN’s reform agenda.
The groups urged UN Secretary-General António Guterres and member states to reject the proposal, strengthen UNAIDS’ mandate, and reaffirm the organisation’s role in leading the fight against HIV/AIDS worldwide.
