As the global community gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 26th International AIDS Conference (27–31 July 2026), the latest UNAIDS report serves as both a reminder of the remarkable progress made against HIV and a warning that those gains remain fragile. For the African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN), the report reinforces the urgency of investing in young people through values-based formation, responsible decision-making, and sustainable HIV prevention efforts.

The UNAIDS report shows that HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths have reached their lowest levels in more than three decades. However, the epidemic is far from over. In 2025, approximately 1.2 million people acquired HIV, while more than 570,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses. Around 9 million of the 41 million people living with HIV were not receiving treatment, and nearly half of all children living with HIV lacked access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy.

Although significant progress has been made globally, new HIV infections increased in three regions and 21 countries, demonstrating that continued vigilance and sustained investment remain essential.

For AJAN, these findings reaffirm the importance of comprehensive HIV prevention rooted in the Jesuit principle of cura personalis—”care for the whole person”—which recognizes the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of every individual. Guided by this approach, AJAN promotes human dignity, personal responsibility, and informed choices. Through its HIV prevention programmes, particularly the AJAN HIV Prevention Programme for Youth (AHAPPY), AJAN accompanies young people by providing values-based education that empowers them to make responsible decisions about their lives, relationships, and future.

AJAN encourages young people to embrace abstinence as the surest way of preventing HIV infection before marriage while fostering self-respect, healthy relationships, and responsible behaviour. Beyond prevention, the network equips young people with accurate information, life skills, leadership formation, and critical thinking, empowering them to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and integrity and to become ambassadors of hope within their communities.

This commitment is deeply rooted in the third Universal Apostolic Preference of accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future. Recognizing that young people possess remarkable energy, resilience, aspirations, and a willingness to learn, AJAN walks alongside them as they discern their purpose, develop their potential, and make life-giving choices. By nurturing both character and competence, AJAN seeks to form young men and women who are capable of making ethical decisions, resisting harmful peer pressure, respecting the dignity of others, and who are not only protected from HIV but are also equipped to build healthier relationships, strengthen their communities, and inspire hope for a more just and compassionate future.

The UNAIDS report also highlights a growing concern: declining international funding for HIV programmes. International financing for HIV fell by more than US$1.5 billion between 2024 and 2025, representing an 18% reduction and the lowest level in nearly two decades. In sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 80% of HIV prevention programmes have relied on international funding, these cuts threaten the continuity of prevention initiatives and community-led services.

For AJAN, this reality underscores the need for stronger local ownership and sustained investment in community-based responses. Across its network of centres in Africa, AJAN continues to work with dioceses, Jesuit institutions, schools, youth groups, health facilities, and local communities to ensure that HIV prevention remains a shared responsibility.

The report also points to exciting scientific advances, including long-acting HIV prevention medicines such as lenacapavir, which offer protection comparable to vaccines. While these innovations provide renewed hope, AJAN echoes the call made by UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima that scientific breakthroughs must be accessible and affordable to all who need them. Innovation can only transform lives when equitable access accompanies scientific progress.

At the same time, AJAN recognizes that medical innovations alone cannot end the epidemic. Sustainable progress requires education, personal responsibility, supportive families, resilient communities, and a commitment to addressing the social and economic factors that increase vulnerability to HIV.

The warning contained in the UNAIDS report is clear: progress against HIV cannot be taken for granted. Yet it is equally clear that ending AIDS remains within reach if governments, communities, faith-based organizations, and development partners renew their commitment to prevention, treatment, education, and solidarity.

As AJAN continues its mission across Africa, it calls upon young people to make responsible choices, uphold values that protect life, and become agents of positive change. Together, through shared responsibility, compassion, and sustained commitment, a future free from AIDS as a public health threat is still possible.

Read the full report here: UNAIDS Special Report for the 26th International AIDS Conference

Por, Mr. Dennis Owuoche,

Responsável de Comunicações da AJAN