GENEVA, 16 September 2026—UNAIDS welcomes the Government of Fiji’s decision to declare HIV a national crisis and the measures announced by the Minister for Health and Medical Services, Hon. Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu, to accelerate the country’s HIV response.

Fiji is facing one of the sharpest increases in new HIV infections globally. UNAIDS estimates that new infections rose 12-fold between 2010 and 2025. An estimated 9,100 people were living with HIV in 2025, only 39% knew their HIV status and just 22% were accessing antiretroviral treatment.

“Fiji has recognized the urgency of the moment and is stepping up its response,” said the Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima. “It is also a stark reminder to the world that AIDS is not over. HIV epidemics can change quickly, and countries need health and community systems that are ready to respond urgently.” 

The decision brings the urgency needed to ramp up the response to a higher level across government and society. A Cabinet subcommittee has been established to address policy and implementation barriers and accelerate action. 

Among cases with a known mode of transmission, over half were linked to sexual transmission and more than 42% to injecting drug use. UNAIDS welcomes plans to introduce a needle and syringe programme, with legislative amendments expected to go before Parliament. 

The Government has also announced expanded HIV prevention, testing and treatment, including wider access to medicine to prevent HIV (PrEP), including long-acting prevention options such as twice-yearly injections, stronger community engagement and action against stigma and discrimination.

Communities are already an essential part of the HIV response in Fiji. Community organizations and peer outreach workers are connecting people to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care, countering misinformation and stigma, and reaching people who may not use formal health services.

Fiji’s nationally led response is supported by regional and international partners. UNAIDS Joint Programme supports Fiji in providing policy advice and helps connect government, communities and partners, while other development partners contribute funding, commodities and technical expertise.

“The national crisis declaration is a call for action, not fear. HIV is not transmitted through everyday contact, and people on effective treatment with an undetectable viral load do not sexually transmit HIV,” said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “Fiji still has an opportunity to change the course of this epidemic. Stronger cooperation across the Pacific and sustained international solidarity can reinforce the national effort and help accelerate action.”

Pacific countries are at different stages of their HIV epidemics, but the region is closely connected through travel, education, employment and family ties. Access to combination HIV prevention and treatment, strong surveillance, community-led responses and shared expertise can help countries recognise changes early and respond quickly.

UNAIDS will continue working with Fiji and countries across the Pacific, alongside communities and development partners, to strengthen national responses and regional cooperation.

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.

For more than 15 years, UNAIDS and WHO have convened governments, manufacturers, financing partners, communities and technical agencies in Geneva for one purpose: making sure the medicines, diagnostics and prevention products needed for the HIV, TB and hepatitis responses are produced in sufficient quantities and reach countries at prices they can afford. From 15 to 18 September, UNAIDS jointly with WHO and Unitaid will once again convene their annual consultation with pharmaceutical and diagnostics manufacturers, partner organizations and national governments.

The meeting arrives at a pivotal moment for the global HIV response as international funding declines and countries take on a greater share of the cost of their own responses. In 2025, domestic sources accounted for 59% of the US$ 17.6 billion invested in the HIV response in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Almost 74% of antiretroviral spending is already covered by domestic spending in LMICs, and just over 52% of antiretroviral spending in Eastern and Southern Africa specifically.

From inception, the consultation has served as one of the few forums where demand forecasts, financing realities and market dynamics can be discussed together. Its discussions have informed demand forecasting, improved visibility of market trends, supported the introduction of new technologies and contributed to efforts to increase affordability and strengthen supply security. Over the years, the meeting has evolved alongside the epidemic itself, moving from early conversations about scaling up treatment to today's priorities: sustainable financing, long-acting prevention technologies and regional manufacturing.

“Reliable financing, procurement and demand intelligence help countries and manufacturers anticipate needs, plan investments and expand access to new and existing health products,” said Jaime Atienza, Director, Sustainability, Financing and Economics at UNAIDS.

Nowhere is that shift clearer than in HIV prevention. While treatment programmes are increasingly funded from domestic budgets, many prevention interventions remain heavily dependent on external support — PrEP chief among them. Demand for oral and long-acting PrEP options is expected to rise sharply in the coming years as more countries expand access and ensuring that financing and procurement systems can keep pace with that growth is set to be a central theme of this year's discussions.

UNAIDS role

UNAIDS brings three things to the table. Data — gathered through the Global AIDS Monitoring framework, AIDS financing analyses and epidemiological monitoring — establishes the baseline numbers that guide the forecasting work. Convening power brings governments, manufacturers, donors and communities into the same room, alongside WHO and Unitaid. And market intelligence, drawn from UNAIDS' global targets, forecasts and projections of future demand for HIV medicines and prevention technologies, gives manufacturers and financing institutions an essential baseline scenario on which to build alternative forecasts.

Communities remain essential partners in ensuring that financing and market decisions translate into equitable access on the ground. Their participation keeps the discussions grounded in the realities faced by people living with HIV and by populations at higher risk of acquiring the virus.

As governments, manufacturers, financing institutions and communities gather in Geneva this week, the objective is straightforward: to keep lifesaving HIV medicines, diagnostics and prevention products affordable, available and accessible to everyone who needs them. At a moment of significant financial transition and new product introductions, cooperation across sectors will be essential to sustaining the progress made so far and to advancing the goals of the Global AIDS Strategy.

Contact

For more information please contact UNAIDS technical focal point Deepak Mattur, Senior Adviser, Resource Tracking at UNAIDS - MatturD[at]unaids.org

With Zambia having received the delivery of the first US-funded HIV prevention medicine Lenacapavir, UNAIDS is now working in close partnership with the Zambian government, communities, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the US government to ensure that this new HIV prevention option reaches the people who need it the most to prevent new HIV infections in the country. The rollout of Lenacapavir offers Zambia an opportunity to accelerate prevention and protect hard-won gains in the country’s HIV response. 

The Government of Zambia received the first stock of the highly anticipated, twice-yearly injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), long-acting medication at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka on 1 September 2026. The shipment was officially received by the Ministry of Health's Permanent Secretary for Donor Coordination, George Sinyangwe, alongside the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, highlighting a continued strategic health partnership between the two countries. 

Lenacapavir’s efficacy has been established, having been found to be almost 100% working in preventing HIV infection. It offers the country an important opportunity to build on its significant progress in the HIV response and advance efforts to end AIDS in Zambia.  

UNAIDS will work with partners, including providing data and evidence on populations that are at high risk of acquiring HIV, to guide the rollout of Lenacapavir and scale up access with the aim of reaching 82 000 people by the end of 2026 across selected 542 health facilities.  

UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Anne Githuku-Shongwe, welcomed the arrival of the medicines. “This collaboration demonstrates what is possible when political leadership, global solidarity, communities, science and partners come together around a common goal. The rollout of Lenacapavir will bring Zambia one step closer to ending AIDS as a public health threat.” said Anne Githuku-Shongwe. 

Approximately 21 000 of the people to benefit from Lenacapavir are pregnant and breastfeeding women which will boost efforts to protect maternal health and eliminate vertical transmission of HIV which is estimated to be at around 6% in Zambia. 

At the event marking the arrival of the shipment on 1 September, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia said that the US was proud to stand with Zambia in rolling out Lenacapavir, signaling a longstanding partnership in the country's HIV response through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). 

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest number of people living with HIV, home to 26.3 million of the 41 million people living with HIV globally. Zambia joins Eswatini, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa as the first countries in the region to receive the ground-breaking HIV prevention medicine.  

In Zambia, there were 23 000 new HIV infections in 2025, with adolescents and young people accounting for 37% of new annual HIV infections - of whom 29% are adolescent girls and young women - who continue to face disproportionate vulnerability to HIV in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Having access to discreet, long-acting prevention will offer an important additional HIV prevention to them.  

“The introduction of Lenacapavir gives us an opportunity to build on that progress and ensure that prevention reaches the people who need it most, particularly adolescent girls and young women.” said Ms Githuku-Shongwe. 

Lenacapavir will be integrated into Zambia’s broader combination HIV prevention approach. UNAIDS will offer strategic coordination, technical advice and advocacy to ensure the roll out of Lenacapavir is guided by evidence and equity, to reach people who will benefit most. 

UNAIDS has been working closely with Zambia over many years, supporting the country’s efforts to strengthen its national HIV response. The partnership includes support for policy development, strategic information, sustainability, community engagement, and efforts to ensure that HIV services reach people who are most vulnerable. Lenacapavir will be an important part of that next chapter.

UNAIDS is deeply saddened by the passing of His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukiidi IV of the Tooro Kingdom, at a young age of 34. Heartfelt condolences to the people of Tooro Kingdom, the Royal Family, the Government and people of Uganda, and all those whose lives were touched by His Majesty’s leadership and service. 

In 2016, His Majesty King Oyo was recognized as a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for ending AIDS among young people in Eastern and Southern Africa. He accepted this role at the age of 24, at a time when he was widely respected as the youngest reigning monarch in the world and as an influential voice for young people across the region. 

“King Oyo used his voice, his influence and his deep commitment to young people to advance the vision of ending AIDS as a public health threat,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “His advocacy reminded the world that young people must be at the centre of the HIV response with access to education, information, protection and opportunities to thrive.” 

Over the years, King Oyo used his platform to amplify the call to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. He championed efforts to eliminate new HIV infections in the Tooro Kingdom, called for stronger engagement of men and boys in the HIV response, and encouraged communities to take collective responsibility for prevention, treatment and care. 

His advocacy also underscored the importance of keeping young people especially adolescent girls and young women in school, where they can access information, protection, support systems and life skills that reduce vulnerability to HIV, teenage pregnancy, early marriage and gender-based violence. 

“His Majesty King Oyo brought courage, compassion and clarity to the HIV response in Uganda and beyond,” said Jacqueline Makokha, UNAIDS Country Director for Uganda and Tanzania. “He understood that ending AIDS requires investing in young people, keeping them in school, protecting them from violence and ensuring that no one is left behind.” 

UNAIDS honours his legacy and reaffirms its commitment to work with partners, communities and young people to end AIDS and build healthier, safer futures for all. 

As the Tooro Kingdom observes its period of mourning, UNAIDS stands with the Royal Family, the Babiito clan and the people of Tooro during this most difficult time.