The United Nations Secretary-General has put forward UN reform proposals in his new UN80 progress report, Shifting Paradigms: United to Deliver, which UNAIDS plans to discuss with its board and stakeholders. As underscored by the Secretary-General, it is with member states and governing bodies to determine the way forward on how UN80 reforms are implemented.
UNAIDS has been working within the Secretary-General's UN80 vision, and consulted with the UN80 team, as it developed its own transformation plans. The proposal put forth in the UN80 report, for UNAIDS to transition by 2026, is an accelerated timeline that would need to be reviewed by the UNAIDS Board.
UNAIDS has been advancing on its transition path and is proud to help lead the way as the UN system reforms. A new operating model, and a transition path that consists of two phases, has been developed through a broad and inclusive consultation process, and approved by the UNAIDS Board in June 2025. It was informed by the recommendations of the High-Level Panel on a resilient and fit-for-purpose UNAIDS Joint Programme , which was composed of diverse member states, civil society and other stakeholders. In July 2025, ECOSOC took note of the new operating model and proposed transformation process.
This new operating model aligns with the UN80 vision for a more integrated, coherent, and impactful UN development system. It is a two-phase transformation-one now being implemented, and the second phase starting in 2027 leading to fuller integration in the UN system.
The first phase of transformation includes a 55% reduction in UNAIDS Secretariat staffing (from 661 to 294 staff). UNAIDS' country presence is being consolidated from 85 to 54 countries, with a lighter footprint in 40 countries. This deployment supports countries where 80% of people living with HIV reside and where 71% of new infections occur. UNAIDS Senior Coordinators are planned to be embedded in 21 UN Resident Coordinator offices (40% of UNAIDS country coverage), and programmatic expertise is being relocated to regional hubs in Nairobi, Johannesburg and Bangkok. UNAIDS' Geneva presence is being reduced by over 80%.
In the second phase, per the UNAIDS Board's decision, the Joint Programme will present to its Board a plan for its consideration in June 2027 to further transform, consolidate and integrate with a view to eventually closing down the UNAIDS Secretariat in its current form. This will include greater mergers and consolidations with Cosponsors and transfer of some functions to countries and other entities such as Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on the Board decisions, the scheduled ECOSOC resolution on the Joint Programme in 2027 will review the UNAIDS mandate.
UNAIDS' priority is to support inclusive, multisectoral, and sustainable national HIV responses, led by governments and communities, and increasingly funded by domestic resources. AIDS is not over; the global AIDS response has been upended in recent months and much more needs to be done to achieve the SDG target of ending AIDS by 2030.
In 2025 and 2026, in parallel with the implementation of its new operating model, UNAIDS is focused on delivering an ambitious new Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 and getting member states' consensus on 2030 HIV targets through the High-Level Meeting on HIV in June 2026. UNAIDS has a commitment to ensure that new HIV prevention innovations - capable of decisively changing the trajectory of new infections - are made available, and the more than 40 million people living with HIV have continued uninterrupted access to treatment and remain virally suppressed.
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
