The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) will be cutting its presence in the Philippines as part of the global downsizing of the United Nations (UN) agency. Post-downsizing, the UNAIDS Country Office (UCO) in the Philippines is projected to have only one staffer left.
The UNAIDS describes itself as the “main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS pandemic”. It was established in 1996 to supplement HIV policy gaps not addressed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Outrage Magazine has reached out to the UNAIDS country director, Dr. Louie R. Ocampo, but no statement has been released as of press time.
In a call for support for the retention of the UCO, a local non-government organization – Action for Health Initiatives, Inc. (ACHIEVE) – stated that this UCO “has played a vital role in guiding the national HIV response through its technical expertise, support for civil society, and commitment to rights-based, community-led approaches. Its continued presence is crucial as the country faces a growing HIV epidemic and significant funding gaps.”
Currently, 57 new HIV infections are reported per day in the Philippines, most of them involving Filipinos aged 15-35 years old. By end-2025, the number of people living with HIV in the country is estimated to reach 252,800.
But UNAIDS is, itself, facing restructuring after this was suggested by an independent panel, though mainly because of the funding cuts of country donors like the US, forcing it to transition into a more modest model with increased country-level contributions that will, eventually, make HIV services more locally relevant and sustainable.
UNAIDS is expected to cut its staff by over 50%, and shift most of them to more affordable locations like Bonn, Nairobi, and Johannesburg. At the end of the restructuring, UNAIDS is expected to only be present in 36 countries. In particular, staff number will be cut from around 600 currently to around 280-300.
