The Joint Programme intensified efforts to drive momentum for better resourced and more sustainable national HIV responses in 2025, building stronger national capacities, mobilizing domestic resources and optimizing efficient allocation and using available resources for results. In the context of constrained funding, the Joint Programme provided targeted guidance, tools and strategic information to support evidence-based financing decisions and transition planning, while reinforcing accountability mechanisms to translate political commitments into measurable action.
New normative guidance and analytical instruments were developed and deployed, such as the WHO operational guidance on sustaining priority HIV, viral hepatitis and STI services in a changing funding landscape, as well as the UNAIDS Rapid AIDS Response Financing Tool (RAFT) which helps countries quantify the impact of funding cuts, identify critical gaps and mobilize emergency resources. The Secretariat provided capacity building for RAFT use in 32 countries and in two regional programmes. This enabled governments to model funding freezes and estimate financing gaps, resulting in more informed decision-making and prioritization of interventions. For instance, Malawi allocated US$11 million to hire 6000 health workers, El Salvador directed 28% of its PEPFAR budget to transition actions, and Zimbabwe identified domestic investment needs in response to the financial situation.
Together with partners, the Secretariat developed and promoted the use of tools, policy briefs and methods to support national HIV Response Sustainability Roadmap design and implementation using a two-part framework. Part A, focuses on securing high-level political commitment to the country HIV Response Sustainability vision, establishing high-level outcomes that drive policy, financing and system transformations, along with metrics and institutional frameworks that embed HIV programmes as national priorities. The HIV Response Sustainability Roadmap Part B Companion Guide, which was released in 2025, expanded focus on transition and sustainability planning to help manage funding volatility. The Secretariat provided technical support to 15 countries to complete Part A sustainability roadmaps and nine countries to develop Part B roadmaps, translating commitments into costed operational steps and domestic financing goals.
By leveraging the political commitment and prioritization framework of the HIV response sustainability roadmaps, several countries have partially or fully implemented targeted mitigation measures and mobilized emergency financing to help sustain essential HIV services during the funding cuts. Countries that developed sustainability roadmaps with Joint Programme support connected requests for one-time emergency funding during the funding disruption to multi-year political commitments to move towards improved self-reliance and sustainability. For example, Uganda increased government budget allocations to HIV and Universal Health Coverage by US$165.4 million for 2025–2026, including US$32.5 million for antiretrovirals. Botswana introduced domestic HIV funding targets for 2026 and 2030, Togo aims to raise domestic HIV funding from 15% to 50% by 2030, and the United Republic of Tanzania committed to financing over half of its HIV response domestically through earmarked levies and taxes.
Resource mobilization and financing evidence were strengthened across regions through support from the Joint Programme. The Secretariat produced global and regional HIV financing estimates for 2010–2024 which were featured in the Global AIDS update and World AIDS Day report, while 2027–2030 resource needs estimates for long-acting PrEP were developed to guide national programmes and partners on ARVs demand forecasting and strategic planning for lenacapavir rollout. The Secretariat also supported national HIV package costing in Viet Nam, Thailand and Mozambique, and provided support to 12 countries in completing National AIDS Spending Assessment reports for evidence-based planning. The World Bank and the Global Fund signed a new memorandum of understanding in December 2025, which built on years of collaboration and committed to mobilize at least US$2 billion over three years for affordable health services, sustainable financing and health products. In Tunisia, UNDP advocacy enabled the Ministry of Health to secure a new US$270 000 budget line for social contracting of HIV services. Through the Scaling Smart Health Systems initiative, UNDP mobilized more than US$15.2 million for integrated health, climate, energy and digital investments, linking HIV, primary health care, diagnostics and resilient infrastructure.
