Activists Protest at U.S. State Department to Restore Global HIV and AIDS Programs

6 February 2025

On 6 February 2025, activists rallied at U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington, DC, to condemn the Trump administration’s attack on people living with and at risk of HIV and AIDS throughout the world, including dismantling USAID and freezing billions in funds to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR provides lifesaving treatment to over 20 million people living with HIV, mostly in Africa. Treatment Action Group (TAG) — an advocacy think tank focused on eradicating HIV, hepatitis C and TB — coorganized the action in DC, which included well-known HIV activist groups such as ACT UP, HealthGAP, Housing Works and others. View and read more about the protest here. TAG Executive Director, Mark Harrington, in an interview for +Life Media said: “There are people in the government now who don’t really care about you and me, and whether people like us live or die.”

For comprehensive coverage of the impact of recent U.S. shifts on global health, check out the news compilation brought to you by the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG).

Access the UNAIDS resource center, tracking the impact on global HIV response, here.

* Photo credit: Tim Murphy