Ethiopia has made significant progress in its HIV response in recent years and is on track to reach the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets with 90% of people living with HIV in the country being aware of their HIV status; 94% of those diagnosed with HIV receiving antiretroviral (ARV) therapy; and 96% of people on ARV therapy achieving viral suppression.   

But now, that progress is at risk. The recent pause in United States foreign assistance poses a direct threat to the lives and well-being of thousands of people living with HIV in Ethiopia and millions globally. Critical services are grinding to a halt, leaving people who rely on them facing an uncertain and dangerous future. 

Ethiopia is heavily reliant on external funding for its AIDS response. PEPFAR provides 53% of HIV funding in the country. In 2023, UNAIDS’ estimates show that there were 610 000 people living with HIV in Ethiopia, 510 000 of whom were accessing antiretroviral treatment.  

For women living with HIV, uncertainty is growing. Limited and unclear communication from healthcare providers and policymakers has left them in the dark about treatment changes, medication availability, and service disruptions. With no clear answers, they are forced to rely on rumors, fueling fear and anxiety. 

“We don’t know what’s happening. Are services being cut permanently? Will we still get our medication next month? No one is telling us anything,” one woman shared. 

To make matters worse, case workers and counsellors—once a vital source of medical and emotional support—are disappearing. These professionals were more than healthcare providers; they were trusted confidants who ensured women received care in a stigma-free environment. Their absence is leaving many feeling abandoned. 

“They understood our struggles, checked in on us, and made sure we had what we needed,” another woman explained. “Without them, we feel forgotten.” 

As services become increasingly unreliable, distress and fear are taking hold. 

Shortages and desperate measures  

Funding cuts bring shortages, and for women living with HIV, the fear of running out of medication is overwhelming. Access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential—it keeps people alive. Yet many are already facing supply disruptions, and whispers of medication shortages are spreading panic. 

“If I can’t get my medicine, what happens to me?” one woman asked. Women living with HIV who have been healthy for years now fear an uncertain future where their treatment is no longer guaranteed. People living with HIV who do not access antiretroviral therapy will eventually develop AIDS and die. To cope, many have resorted to stockpiling medication, traveling long distances and spending entire days at clinics in hopes of securing extra supplies. While understandable, this survival strategy comes at a heavy cost—disrupting work, family life, and daily routines. No one should have to live in fear of their next refill. The urgent need for stable, uninterrupted HIV treatment cannot be overstated. 

Adding to the crisis, shortages extend beyond medication. The dwindling supply of test kits, including viral load tests, is threatening the future of diagnosis and monitoring. These tests are crucial to ensure that people living with HIV maintain undetectable viral levels, reducing transmission risks and protecting their health.  

Fears have also been expressed around the availability of medications for HIV prevention, particularly for the prevention of vertical transmission of HIV. If the current pause in the supply of medical resources continues, the availability of these vital medications could be severely compromised, putting the lives of women and children at even greater risk.   For women living with HIV who are pregnant, a lack of lifesaving medications for themselves also means their children can be born with HIV even though this is entirely preventable.

Without test kits and prevention measures, undiagnosed and untreated cases could rise dangerously. “We can’t afford to go backward,” one woman said. 

A Plea for Action 

The voices of these women reveal a stark and urgent reality—funding cuts have left people living with HIV in a state of uncertainty, with no clear path forward. 

"Urgent intervention is needed,” stressed Tina Boonto, Country Director for UNAIDS Ethiopia. “UNAIDS is gathering information and developing funding solutions to address the shortfall, with proposals for both the government and external partners to ensure continuity of critical services. We hope Ethiopia's government will step up and lead in covering these essential services. We must act now to safeguard gains that have been made and succeed in securing sustainable support to people living with HIV." 

While the future remains uncertain, one thing is clear: without swift action, the hard-won progress in Ethiopia’s HIV response is at risk. 

There is minimal disruption to HIV services in Malawi. People living with HIV are receiving services. People living with HIV who go to facilities that have been are closed are being referred to government services that are open. Early last week, in response to UNAIDS’ advocacy, the government issued a press release assuring the public that HIV services will continue uninterrupted. Also last week the government developed a contingency plan, which will form Part B of the ongoing work to develop a Sustainability Plan for Malawi. The government issued a circular of the activities it will prioritize going forward. It has redeployed its staff to fill the positions that are vacant because of the stop order. In general services are ongoing. 

Unfortunately, PrEP and long-acting injectables are not part of the package the government will prioritize. Civil Society groups are concerned about the omission of prevention interventions beyond treatment and PrEP for pregnant and breastfeed women. UNAIDS is working with other international partners to see if they would be willing to support PrEP and long-acting injectables.

Staff partner reduction

Non-government organisations such as Partners in Hope, Partners in Health, Baylor College, Lighthouse Trust, Pakachere, CEDEP, EGPFAP, Right to Care, JPPHEIGO, MACRO employ more than 4000 cadre of staff in support of the AIDS response using PEPFAR and CDC resources. These cadre include 180 Doctors, 1640 Health Diagnostic Assistants, and 1870 treatment supporters received stop orders and ceased their activities. Some of these NGOs did not receive the Stop Orders but stopped activities as a precaution. They surrendered the work equipment, including computers and vehicles at the district health offices. Civil society organizations including the Malawi AIDS Services Organisation and the Malawi network of people living with HIV work has been impacted. They have stopped or slowed their community-led monitoring work.

Interruptions to Services at Key Populations Drop-In Centres

The drop-in centers for key population are not staffed because most of the staff are PEPFAR or CDC supported, who are not working. The drop-in centres are open but minimally staffed.  PLHIV are worried about what will happen when the stocks in country – approximately 9-months-worth – run out. Members of civil society are keen to understand how the government will move Malawi’s response to HIV forward, sustainably. They are also concerned about the continuity of prevention and treatment efforts going on in Global Fund Grant Cycle 7 given that the US government provides the bulk of contributions to the GFATM.

The UN Family Responds Together

The UNCT met to discuss the situation. Beyond HIV, the impact of the Stop Order was widespread including on support for the forthcoming elections, maternal and child health and resettlement of refugees. The UNCT agreed on a series of support and advocacy efforts to move forward including reaching out to the government to find out where they need our support and what austerity measures they will take given the freeze on funding.

Last week, the U.S. Ambassador assured the UNAIDS Country Office that PEPFAR-supported services will recommence early next week. She indicated the country needs to complete the sign the Sustainability Plan.

The UCO met the Minister of Health and reached out to other Senior Government Officials and the Sustainability plan has now been cleared by the Minister of Health. The UCO understands the Sustainability plan and the Contingency Plan are  one of the key items that the Minister will share with the President this Friday.  

The UCO will continue to meet with the Minister of Health and Ambassadors from other countries, the NAC, and civil society to understand the flow of services in the districts and see how best we can support.

The Ministry of Health in Cameroon has developed a set of mitigation measures to ensure continuity of HIV services to people living with HIV and vulnerable populations that could be impacted by the suspension of Unites States Government funding. The mitigation measures describe immediate, medium and long-term actions that also represent an accelerated move towards sustainability.

The minister has issued a circular to all regional delegates and directors of hospitals to take appropriate measures within their authority to ensure continuation of HIV, TB and Malaria services with priority given to the most vulnerable, these include reallocation of health personnel and readjusting of workload to fill the gaps of the 2332 personnel that were under PEPFAR funding. The objective is to ensure that there would be no interruption of services to anyone. Talks are ongoing with the Global Fund country team and other partners to find possibilities of reallocation of resources.

Overall National Response

A Cabinet memo on the current situation and recommendations for the government of Kenya (GOK) to mitigate the situation has been developed by Ministry of Health and domestic resource allocation is a key recommendation as well as fast-tracking the development of the ongoing HIV sustainability roadmap.

A special national HIV inter coordination committee (ICC) that includes CSOs, communities, private sector, UN Agencies and government stakeholders was convened by UNSDCC on Friday, January 31st to assess the impact and suggest solutions.

Commodity Security

UNAIDS’ Country Office (UCO) has been part of the commodity security meetings.

All requests to distribute PEPFAR-supported products in country through USAID are on hold until further guidance is provided to unfreeze the initial communication.

Products that were to be distributed in January 2025 under USAID/PEPFAR include ARVs (Nevirapine syrup, Dolutegravir 10 mg and 50 mg). For these products, health facilities had a stock balance between 2 to 4 months by 31st December 2025.

The country may start experiencing erratic supply of Nevirapine syrup and Dolutegravir (DTG) 50 mg towards the end of March and May 2025, respectively, if the stop work order is not lifted.

The current stocks at Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) for DTG 10 mg will sustain the country beyond June 2025.

Viral load and EID products are mainly procured through PEPFAR support. This will be adversely affected if the stop order is not lifted as soon as possible as the quantity under the Global Fund is minimal, targeting specific point of care testing sites.

Stop Gap Measures for Commodity Security

GOK will be required to allocate funds for the distribution of these products from Missions for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS) to health facilities. The estimated cost by KEMSA is approximately USD 10 million.

Procurement and delivery of health products will be facilitated by the Global Fund and government counterpart financing. Additionally, discussion to front load commodities under Global Fund year two will be initiated.

If the stop order continues, GOK will be required to allocate funds to cover the deficit.

Discussions to allow Government to distribute HIV commodities under MEDS is to be initiated if the stop work order is not lifted. (To note, as of February 2, 2025, there has been a reprieve with the new circular on waiver for administration costs for procurement and supplies of essential drugs. The circular is however yet to be implemented as it is a new directive)

Human Resources for Health

All PEPFAR-supported medical personnel/health workers have been requested to stop work as per the stop work order effected in PEPFAR supported counties and facilities.

All PEPFAR-supported implementing partners (CSOs, FBOs, UN) and sub-grantees have been requested to stop work and consequently, staff have been requested to proceed on leave for the duration of the stop work order (90 days).

In some of the counties, the county government has recalled all health workers who are on leave to cushion the situation.

UCO programs supported by PEPFAR through COAG (Community led monitoring and Strategic Information) have been halted.

Consequently, the five UCO CLM partners (CSOs, KP led organizations) have stopped work and over 148 staff IP staff have been affected, and service delivery constrained.

Way Forward

UCO to consider supporting a national communities’ meeting to discuss the impact on service delivery and make recommendations to national and county governments.

As mentioned above, as of February 2, 2025, there was a reprieve with the new circular on waiver for administration costs for procurement and supplies of essential drugs, including continued support for human resources. Hopefully, measures will be implemented this coming week to avert potential risks.

Funding for the HIV Response in Botswana

Prior to the U.S pause of foreign assistance, the Government of Botswana funded two thirds of its HIV response (approximately US$ 90 - 95 M). The remaining costs were covered by the U.S. Government (US$ 55 M via the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, and US$ 12M via the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria).

Immediate Risks

The pause and stop order will:

1. Undermine Botswana’s ability to fully achieve UNAIDS’ 95-95-95 targets and the efforts to finding the missing 5-2-2 in Botswana. That means reaching an additional five percent of all people living with HIV with testing so they are aware of their HIV status; ensuring that an additional two percent of all people who are living with HIV and are aware on treatment and ensuring an additional two percent of all those aware of their status and on treatment have their viral load suppressed.
2. Take away safe spaces for key populations (KPs) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and increase their vulnerability to HIV-related sigma and discrimination, gender-based violence, mental health problems and other related social ills.
3. Reduce access to early diagnosis and treatment for HIV which leads to health complications and higher default rates for treatment adherence which correlates to a lack of viral suppression.

Impact on Civil Societies and Communities

In Botswana, the impact of the pause on U.S. foreign assistance and related stop order has already affected delivery of HIV prevention and treatment services by civil society organisations (CSOs) and will have implications for the entire system across the national HIV response.

UNAIDS consulted with a significant number of CSOs to establish the impact of the pause and stop order on the provision of services. Additionally, a task force set up by NAHPA and the Ministry of Health and cochaired by UNAIDS met to establish a complete picture of disruptions not just for CSOs but also within MOH and NAHPA where a total of about 207 positions are funded by PEPFAR.

Most of the affected CSOs are those providing some services for key and vulnerable populations (AGYW, MSM, SW, PLWHIV). The government continues to provide services and encourages the affected CSOs to refer and link clients to government facilities. While CSOs have been funded to provide demand creation activities, only three of those consulted have clinics or drop-in centres that were considered safe by the aforementioned population groups. They offer HIV counselling and testing Services, ART dispensing, PrEP dispensing, adherence and psychosocial support, condom distribution and referral and linkages to other services. The stop order has led to the closure of these CSO clinics and drop-in centres and disrupted service delivery.

Government Response

Botswana’s government health facilities continue to operate and provide services. The Ministry of Health issued a press release on 29 January assuring Batswana living with HIV that the pause of U.S. assistance will not affect the availability of ARVs as they are directly procured by the Government of Botswana. This was followed by another press release on 6 February further assuring continuity of services.

Mitigation Measures

Through the Joint Oversight Committee, a task team will be established to monitor developments and ensure that HIV services are not disrupted, clients are referred and linked to care at government facilities and that CSO’s providing services will receive domestic funding.

Consultative meetings between stakeholders are ongoing as per the Ministry of Health’s press release.

The pause of U.S. foreign assistance on Ethiopia will affect many areas of development, however its impact on Ethiopia’s national HIV response is particularly severe.

Ethiopia is on track to reach the global 95-95-95 targets: with 90% of people in Ethiopia living with HIV being aware of their HIV status; 94% of those diagnosed with HIV receiving antiretroviral (ARV) therapy; and 96% of people on ARV therapy achieving viral suppression.  ARV treatment is currently provided to 503,000 people via 1,400 health facilities across the country.   However, with ongoing challenges to the country health system and socio-economic development, Ethiopia remains reliant on external donors for its HIV response. 

SERVICE DISRUPTION: Pause of U.S. assistance to community programs and drop in centres serving women, young girls and priority populations at higher risk of HIV infection means tens of thousands of individuals will no longer be able to access critical services such as HIV testing, antiretroviral treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, and screenings for tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections and support to address gender-based violence.  The closure of many drop -in centres and the termination of outreach workers’ and peer educators’ contracts will effectively shut off support to vulnerable groups.

Table: Breakdown of Service Disruption in three regions in Ethiopia: Addis Ababa; Oromia and Gambella

SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS: The funding freeze has caused critical delays in the supply of essential HIV services, including testing kits and other resources. Notably, PEPFAR is responsible for 100% of the procurement of viral load and Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) reagents. The interruption in funding is limiting the availability of these crucial supplies, undermining the program’s ability to conduct timely viral load and EID testing, which are essential for effective patient monitoring and treatment.

REDUCED CAPACITY FOR HEALTHCARE SUPPORT: The pause threatens to stall efforts to build local healthcare capacity. It impacts the training and support of health workers, slowing progress in Ethiopia’s fight against HIV. This reduction in capacity limits the ability of healthcare professionals to respond effectively to the growing HIV epidemic. The disruption of ICAP’s capacity building, M&E, and clinical mentoring threatens care for advanced HIV patients, putting Ethiopia’s progress at risk. The freeze is also likely to scale back key prevention programs, including outreach, education, and services for key populations, worsening the epidemic

HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM DISRUPTION: Ethiopia's Health Information System is severely affected by the stop work order. The termination of 10,000 data clerks, who are essential for entering ART data into the health information management system, is compromising data management, particularly in tracking lost-to-follow-up cases. This disrupts key national activities, such as HIV estimations and studies of key populations. Furthermore, the cessation of the HIV surveys and surveillances, and HIV Estimation Technical Working Group (TWG) which includes CDC, USAID, and PEPFAR undermines the accuracy of HIV data and threatens the continuity of critical HIV data management systems.

HUMAN RESOURCES IMPACT:  Ministry of Health shared that 5,000 public health workers’ contracts funded by U.S. assistance from all regions in Ethiopia have been terminated.  These health workers are supporting Ethiopia’s HIV response – improving regional capacity to accelerate progress towards Ending AIDS.   While the government of Ethiopia will take over the gap, the sudden loss of programmatic experience and the transition period will be rough.

ACTIONS TO ADDRESS THE SITUATION: On 4 February 2025, The Ministry of Health of Ethiopia issued a circular to all regional health bureau to assure regional health offices that the government will step in to manage the work that was performed by the US-funded personnel in order to ensure programme continuity. 

UNAIDS Ethiopia together with WHO will be convening a situation assessment briefing on 11 February 2025 with government, CSOs and development partners to identify solutions to address gaps in the HIV, TB, Malaria and health andcCommunity systems responses in Ethiopia.

GENEVA, 1 February 2025— The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is urging for a continuation of all essential HIV services while the United States pauses its funding for foreign aid.   

On 29 January, UNAIDS welcomed the news that United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had approved an “Emergency Humanitarian Waiver,” allowing people to continue accessing lifesaving HIV treatment funded by the U.S. in 55 countries worldwide. More than 20 million people - two-thirds of all people living with HIV accessing HIV treatment globally - are directly supported by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

While continuity of HIV treatment is essential, services must continue to be monitored, and oversight provided for quality. Other critical HIV services for people, especially marginalized people including children, women, and key populations, must continue. Last year, PEPFAR provided over 83.8 million people with critical HIV testing services; reached 2.3 million adolescent girls and young women with HIV prevention services; 6.6 million orphans, vulnerable children, and their caregivers received HIV care and support; and 2.5 million people were newly enrolled on pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection.

Since PEPFAR was created, the United States has been steadfast in its leadership in the fight against HIV. The U.S. has saved millions of lives through its programmes, particularly in the countries most affected by HIV. PEPFAR has had remarkable results in stopping new infections and expanding access to HIV treatment – and this must continue.

Globally, there are 1.3 million people that are newly infected with HIV every year, 3,500 every day. Young women and girls in Africa are at alarming high risk of HIV, where 3,100 young women and girls aged 15 to 24 years become infected with HIV every week and at least half of all people from key populations are not being reached with prevention services.

Pregnant women in high HIV prevalent areas must be tested for HIV to determine whether they are living with HIV so they can protect their baby by taking antiretroviral therapy prior to birth. As a result, babies will be born HIV-free. 

Many organizations providing services for people living with HIV that are funded, or partly funded, by PEPFAR have reported they will shut their doors due to the funding pause with lack of clarity and great uncertainty about the future. UNAIDS is evaluating the impact and will provide routine and real-time updates to share the latest global and country information, data, guidance, and references.

“PEPFAR gave us hope and now the executive order is shattering the very hope it offered for all people living with HIV and our families.  As communities we are in shock with the continued closure of clinics. We resolutely demand that all our governments come in haste to fill the gap in human resources needed at the moment to ensure sustainability of HIV service delivery,” said Flavia Kyomukama, Executive Director at National Forum of People Living with HIV Network Uganda (NAFOPHANU).

Zimbabwe`s umbrella network of people living with HIV (ZNNP+) stated that the implementation of stop work orders has led to significant fears, including reduced access to essential services, loss of community trust and long-term health outcomes.

 As the waiver is effective for a review period of all U.S. foreign development assistance, future coverage of HIV services - including for treatment - remains unclear and the lives of the millions of people supported by PEPFAR are in jeopardy and could be at stake.

Anele Yawa, General Secretary for the Treatment Action Campaign is worried. "The PEPFAR-fund freeze will take South Africa and the world back in terms of the gains we have made in our response to HIV,” he said. "We are asking ourselves how are we going to cope in the next three months as people are going to be left behind in terms of prevention, treatment and care."

At a moment when the world can finally get the upper hand on one of the world’s deadliest pandemics, aided by new long-acting HIV prevention and treatment medicines coming to market this year, UNAIDS urges the U.S. to continue its unparalleled leadership and accelerate, not diminish, efforts to end AIDS.

UNAIDS looks forward to partnering with the United States, other donors and countries most affected by HIV to ensure a robust and sustainable response to HIV and to achieve our collective goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA, 29 January 2025— The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has approved an “Emergency Humanitarian Waiver”, which will allow people to continue accessing HIV treatment funded by the US across 55 countries worldwide. More than 20 million people living with HIV, representing two-thirds of all people living with HIV receiving treatment globally, are directly supported by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) - the world’s leading HIV initiative.

“UNAIDS welcomes this waiver from the US government which ensures that millions of people living with HIV can continue to receive life-saving HIV medication during the assessment of US foreign development assistance,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “This urgent decision recognizes PEPFAR’s critical role in the AIDS response and restores hope to people living with HIV.”

In recent days, the US Department of State announced an immediate 90-day funding pause for all foreign assistance, including for funding and services supported by PEPFAR. The executive order announcing a “90-day pause in United States foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy” was one of the first major foreign policy decisions of the new administration. This waiver approves the continuation or resumption of “life-saving humanitarian assistance” which applies to core life-saving medicine and medical services, including HIV treatment, as well as to supplies necessary to deliver such assistance.

UNAIDS will continue efforts to ensure that all people living with or affected by HIV are served and that other key components of PEPFAR’s life-saving efforts, including service delivery and services for HIV prevention, care, and support for orphans and vulnerable children are continued.

UNAIDS is serving in its essential role to mobilize and convene partners, governments, and communities across the globe at the country level to assess and mitigate the impact of the pause on the continuity of essential HIV services.   

UNAIDS has encouraged President Donald J. Trump to prioritize the U.S. Government’s leadership in the global HIV response to achieve the shared goal of ending AIDS.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA/LUSAKA, 30 January 2025—Zambian football star Racheal Kundananji has been appointed as a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador to champion the fight to end AIDS as a public health threat in Zambia.

In her new role, Ms Kundananji will work with UNAIDS to champion HIV prevention, advocate for girls’ education to help reduce new HIV infections and sexually transmitted infections. She will also highlight the importance of preventing teenage pregnancy and advocate for an increase in HIV testing and access to health services for young people. 

“I am so happy to be collaborating with UNAIDS to end AIDS as a public health threat in my country Zambia,” said Ms Kundananji. “Achieving this will require a collective effort, including ensuring that all young people in Zambia, particularly girls, remain in secondary education to reduce their risk of HIV infection and provide them with better economic opportunities.” 

Ms Kundananji is already using her platform to drive change. She founded the Racheal Kundananji Legacy Foundation to harness the power of sport to address gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, and child marriage, demonstrating her deep commitment to empowering women and girls and tackling gender inequality.  

“Ms Kundananji shares UNAIDS’ vision of ending AIDS as public health threat in Zambia by 2030,” said Isaac Ahemesah, UNAIDS Country Director for Zambia. “That world is possible. Leaders must ensure that girls stay in school and increase political and financial support to end the AIDS epidemic, by stopping new HIV infections and ensuring that everyone who needs treatment for HIV has access.” 

United Nations Resident Coordinator for Zambia, Ms. Beatrice Mutali, praised Ms Kundananji’s dedication to advancing and promoting HIV awareness, testing, prevention and the  Education Plus Initiative, which promotes girls’ school attendance. She also called for gender equality in sports, emphasizing the need for equal pay for equal work for women and men in all fields.

Ms Kundananji shattered the global women’s football transfer record, becoming the most expensive player in the history of women’s football. She is the first African footballer - male or female - to break the world transfer record. Now playing for Bay FC, an American professional women's soccer team based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she competes in the prestigious National Women's Soccer League, solidifying her place as a trailblazer on the global football stage. 

Ms Kundananji has represented the Zambian National team since 2018 at the African Cup of Nations, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the Olympic qualifiers. Ms Kundananji has also played for Madrid Club de Fútbol Femenino among others.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.