Category: United Nations

By Felipe de Carvalho

27 July 2026 Health

Why it matters

• 1.2 million people acquired HIV and 570,000 died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2025
• 22 per cent of people living with HIV are still not receiving treatment
• International HIV funding fell 18 per cent, the steepest decline in nearly 20 years
• Such new medicines as lenacapavir are nearly 100 per cent effective at preventing HIV infection
• 20 million people need access to antiretroviral-based prevention to make a meaningful impact on the epidemic
• Generic versions of lenacapavir could cost as little as $40 per person per year, but they will remain unavailable in many countries

Defined by a paradox

The conference, taking place in Rio from 27 to 31 July, is defined by a paradox.

By the end of this decade, more than three million people could become infected with HIV, yet the tools to stop this crisis already exist, from groundbreaking prevention medicines to community-led interventions with a proven track record. What is missing is sustained financing.

This growing funding gap is already forcing countries to cut essential services and close community organizations, according to the new report from UNAIDS, the agency working to end the epidemic by 2030. 

Unless urgent action is taken, the agency warns, the world is on course for a resurgence of the epidemic.

That contradiction defines the 26th International AIDS Conference.

On the one side stands a revolution in HIV prevention, with a new generation of medicines now offering protection against HIV comparable to that of a vaccine.

On the other is a growing concern that these breakthroughs will remain out of reach for millions because they are priced too high and controlled by pharmaceutical patent holders.

Brazil excluded from generic production

Few countries illustrate this paradox more clearly than the conference host itself.

Although Brazil played a key role in the clinical trials that helped bring lenacapavir to market, it was excluded from the list of countries authorised to manufacture lower-cost generic versions.

Lenacapavir is a long-acting injectable medicine that requires just two injections a year and prevents HIV infection in nearly 100 per cent of cases, according to the latest studies.

Universal access is ‘distant reality’ for most

“Equitable and universal access remains a distant reality for millions of people because of high prices and the exclusion of many countries from voluntary licensing agreements,” said Variano Terto Jr., vice president of the Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA).

He was speaking at a conference side event organized by the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). 

He added that patents on essential drugs have been “reinforcing monopolies and privatization of public knowledge”.

One of the conference co-organizers, ABIA recently published a study showing that Brazil could manufacture lenacapavir domestically for approximately $75 per patient per year. 

By contrast, the patented version costs more than $20,000, a price considered unsustainable for Brazil’s public health system.

Risk of injustice

The true measure of success is not whether medicines exist, but whether the people who need them can actually obtain them and at an affordable price, said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.

“Innovation without access is not innovation; it is injustice,” she said.

UNAIDS estimates that 20 million people need access to antiretroviral-based prevention if the world is to significantly reduce new HIV infections.

Calls for new funding model

While HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are at their lowest levels in more than three decades, the global response remains dangerously fragile.

International HIV financing dropped by more than $1.5 billion between 2024 and 2025, an 18 per cent decline that marked its lowest level in nearly two decades, and global development assistance fell by 23 per cent last year, the largest annual decline ever recorded, with health programmes, including HIV initiatives, among the hardest hit.

Meanwhile, new HIV infections increased across three regions and in 21 countries during 2025.

The current moment should be understood as “the end of the era of dependence on international aid”, the UNAIDS chief said, calling for a new financing model, including measures such as sovereign debt restructuring, to enable governments to invest in “the future of their people”.

27 July 2026 Peace and Security

On Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over Israel’s recent announcement of a series of measures in response to recent attacks. 

These include accelerating the process to legalise farm outposts in the West Bank and establish new ones.   

Settlements are illegal 

The Secretary-General reiterated that all settlements, including outposts, have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law. 

Moreover, they remain a major obstacle to achieving the two-State solution between Israelis and Palestinians, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

The UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA voiced alarm over the escalating violence across the West Bank in recent days. 

Death, destruction and restrictions 

Since Thursday, at least eight Palestinians – including a child – as well as two Israelis, have been killed and many others have been injured.  

Homes, mosques, trees and agriculture structures have been set ablaze or otherwise vandalized and, in some cases, destroyed. At least 10 Palestinian families have been displaced.

“In parallel, Israeli forces have tightened their restrictions on Palestinian movements and access across many areas of the West Bank, preventing thousands of people from reaching essential services, such as emergency medical care and the sources of their livelihoods,” OCHA said. 

Since January, the agency has documented more than 1,330 incidents involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties, property damage or both.

As of Saturday, Israeli forces or settlers have killed 77 Palestinians this year, including 18 children.  During the same period, three Israelis were killed by Palestinians. 

Meanwhile, the UN and partners continue to call for the urgent protection of civilians and strict respect for both international humanitarian law and international human rights law, underscoring that perpetrators must be held to account. 

27 July 2026 Peace and Security

Lebanon faces crises including delayed elections, economic collapse and conflict. More than 4,300 people have been killed and 12,200 more have been injured in Lebanon since Iran-backed Hezbollah militants joined the regional war triggered by US-Israeli attacks on 2 March, according to national authorities.

“I am concerned that the overall conduct resulting in large scale displacement and denial of returns could amount to international crimes,” Mr. Türk said at a press conference in the capital Beirut on Monday.

Seeing displacement up close

While in Lebanon, Mr. Türk met representatives from the Lebanese Government, civil society groups, national human rights mechanisms and people who were forced to flee their homes because of the conflict.

Despite a 17 April conditional ceasefire agreed by Israel and the Lebanese Government reached via US-led talks, Israel has continued to conduct airstrikes and use explosive weapons in densely populated areas while Hezbollah has likewise continued fighting, leading to mass displacement, according to the UN’s human rights office (OHCHR).

At a school repurposed as a shelter for around 1,000 people fleeing violence, civilians told Mr. Türk how their homes, schools, healthcare facilities, water distribution networks, electricity infrastructure, places of worship and agricultural land had been destroyed by Israeli strikes.

A man who lost both his mother and brother in Israeli attacks that destroyed their Beirut home said he is now working to document rights violations and is seeking accountability, Mr. Türk recounted.

“I am struck by the widespread damage and compounded suffering that I have seen,” Mr. Türk said. “The trauma, frustration and despair are palpable – but so too is the demand for justice which I heard resoundingly.”

With the consent of Lebanon’s government, the UN human rights office recently deployed a mission to Lebanon to collect information and evidence on alleged human rights and humanitarian violations committed by all parties to the conflict.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)’s mandate will expire at the end of this year. The peacekeepers’ absence could pose new risks for civilians in southern Lebanon, Mr. Türk warned.

Progress is possible

In meetings with civil society organisations, Mr. Türk said local leaders highlighted the need for stronger protections for marginalised groups including refugees, migrants, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities.

Mr. Türk said he heard “heartbreaking” stories from these leaders about people with disabilities who struggled to evacuate to safety or access emergency shelters.

However, he recognised Lebanon’s progress on several issues, including ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and proposing measures that would abolish the death penalty and strengthen judicial independence and the rule of law.

He further called for improvements to prison conditions and the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships.

Recovering from the current conflict will be complex, Mr. Türk said, as it will take time for communities to trust the government to protect their rights and provide the services, safety and security they need.

“My office and my colleagues here on the ground remain ready to support Lebanon in the promotion and protection of human rights for all,” he said.

26 July 2026 Health

The elderly Palestinian sits in a wheelchair mounted on a donkey-drawn cart, with an oxygen cylinder and a small fan beside him, as he makes his way from his tent in the Al-Mawasi area to the dialysis centre.

“Since January 2024 until now, I have been undergoing dialysis sessions three times a week,” he said. “I suffer a lot because of transportation as I travel in a cart pulled by a donkey under the scorching sun, and thank God, what can we do? I have no other choice.”

Near-daily ordeal

Access to the hospital has become part of his daily struggle, given the destruction of infrastructure, the lack of transportation and the continued difficult humanitarian conditions in the Strip since the Hamas-Israel war erupted in 2023.

Even with the October 2025 ceasefire, Gaza’s health system is still operating at limited capacity, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Israeli attacks and widespread damage to health facilities, along with restrictions on the entry of medical supplies, continue to impede the provision of healthcare at a time when patients with chronic diseases need regular, uninterrupted treatment, WHO said.

Mr. Hajji’s suffering reflects the reality for hundreds of kidney failure patients in the Gaza Strip, where obstacles facing health facilities have increased pressure on dialysis services.

Harsh test of survival

For Mr. Hajji, challenges remain travelling to and from the centre, where the treatment itself becomes a harsh test of survival.

During the journey his grandson, Saif, stops repeatedly to re-attach the wheelchair to the platform because of the bumpy roads.

“There is great suffering along the way due to the heat of the sun and the rough roads,” Saif explained. “We have to stop every 50 metres to adjust the position of my grandfather’s wheelchair, and we arrive at the hospital exhausted and in immediate need of oxygen.”

Limited resources

After a difficult trip, Saif helps transfer his grandfather from his wheelchair to a bed at the dialysis centre in the Nasser Medical Complex. Other patients line up waiting their turn at the available machines while the medical staff try to cope with increasing numbers and limited resources.

The elderly Mr. Hajji then begins his dialysis session as a health worker monitors his condition during the treatment, which lasts between three and five hours. 

“It is very difficult, especially with the high temperatures, so I had to bring a fan with me, and I also need to fill the oxygen cylinder daily,” Mr. Hajji explained.

Lack of equipment

The lack of equipment exacerbates the suffering of patients, said Hamza Abu Raya, one of the centre’s employees.

“We are under a lot of pressure on the dialysis machines, many of which are worn out,” he said. “We also suffer from a shortage of treatment supplies, including bicarbonate, in addition to the unavailability of the drug Eprex for a long time, which increases the suffering of patients.”

Shortages of fuel, spare parts and medical supplies are common, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). These critical problems are compounded by the continued spread of infectious diseases and the increasing pressure on existing health facilities.

Meanwhile, health partners continue to operate services to the maximum extent possible.

Another journey home

After the treatment session, Mr. Hajji is helped back into his wheelchair.

The frail Gazan then waits outside the hospital gates for the same donkey-led cart ride back to his tent, a journey that he repeats three times a week.