SURVIVAL MODE
Regional gov’ts urged to step up as funding cuts threaten HIV gains
Published:Wednesday | August 13, 2025 | 12:11 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
Warning that civil society organisations in the Caribbean are facing a “funding crisis”, Dr Richard Amenyah, UNAIDS multicountry director, is urging regional governments to step up collaboration to offset the impact of US funding cuts on HIV and STI prevention programmes.
“Let’s respond strategically to this crisis,” he urged. “It’s a funding crisis. It gives us a great opportunity to engage with our government partners. Let’s talk about financing civil society as part of our collective response in health.”
Amenyah, who was speaking on Tuesday at a regional civil society forum hosted by the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, also stressed the importance of these organisations finding innovative strategies to sustain themselves.
“We are living in uncertain times. Unprecedented things are happening, and it is important for us to focus on the things that have worked for us and, more or less, the gains that we have had,” he said, noting that when funding disappears, civil society is often the first to suffer.
A recent survey by UNAIDS and the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS found that 80 per cent of HIV service organisations in the region are experiencing serious disruptions due to funding cuts initiated under the Trump administration.
The US, previously responsible for two-thirds of global HIV prevention funding in low- and middle-income countries, ended support for UNAIDS in February and froze funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which had financed around 70 per cent of the global AIDS response. Fifty-five countries have been affected.
In the Caribbean – which has the second-highest HIV prevalence outside of sub-Saharan Africa – Amenyah said the cuts have especially impacted civil society-led prevention services and human rights groups.
Jumoke Patrick, chair of the Jamaica Civil Society Forum on HIV and AIDS, said several organisations serving vulnerable communities have had to scale back or shut down entirely.
“We have already experienced a 15 per cent reduction in funding that we receive from Global Fund because the US has reduced its support ... . While my organisation was not directly affected, moving forward – September and beyond – we are uncertain as to where wewill get those donor funding from. Other organisations just got cut immediately. They had to stop their operations,” he said.
Patrick said the civil society groups have been appealing to the Government for years to step in and help them sustain their work.
“We have been recognising for years now that international donor funds has been reducing. The pocket and the pot of funding has been getting smaller and smaller every year,” he said.
CVC Executive Director Ivan Cruickshank said his organisation has begun prioritising strategic programmes, providing technical assistance and support for basic treatment and prevention efforts. These include support for other entities to maintain basic treatment and prevention programmes, providing technical assistance, and streamlining their team.
Despite challenges, Amenyah noted some progress: the Caribbean has achieved a 62 per cent reduction in AIDS-related deaths – the highest globally. However, 340,000 people are currently living with HIV in the region, up from 250,000 in 2010, and new infections remain stagnant at about 40 per day.