By: Staff Writer
July 15, 2025
A recent United Nations report said that black women in the Caribbean face a tougher battle in fighting for resources and protection from HIV.
According to the report—AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform, “In the Caribbean and Pacific coastal regions of Colombia, women represent half of all people diagnosed with HIV, compared with only a fifth at the national level. This gap is tied closely to gender inequality and other structural barriers such as violence and poor access to basic health services, including HIV testing and treatment. In addition, stigma—worsened by racism and sexism—makes it harder for many women to get an education, find work or receive proper medical care, leaving them more exposed to the risks of HIV.
Over the last fifteen years, there has been a 54 percent decline in AIDS-related deaths globally. The Caribbean is well above the global average at 62 percent.
The report added: “UNAIDS, through the help of key donors, supports various organizations leading the HIV response in Afro-Colombian, Indigenous and rural communities. The Fundación Afro Mata ’e Pelo works to improve access to information on sexual and reproductive health in the Caribbean region of Colombia, where myths, stigma, discrimination and gaps in training among health workers remain common challenges.
The number of new HIV infections decreased between 2010 and 2024 by 17 percent in the Caribbean, the second-highest decrease behind sub-Saharan Africa with 56 percent.
External funding is still critically important to the Caribbean as 66 percent of all funding for HIV prevention efforts are sourced from external organisations.
The report also said: “Between 2010 and 2024, numbers of new HIV infections decreased by 56 percent in eastern and southern Africa, 55 percent in western and central Africa, 21 percent in the Caribbean and 17 percent in Asia and the Pacific.”
In 2010, only 53,000 people living with HIV were on treatment in the Caribbean. 13,000 adults and children lost their lives due to AIDS-related conditions that year. However, by 2024, this number climbed to 250,000 people on treatment—with 50,000 of them added between 2020 and 2024. Today, 85 percent of people living with HIV in the Caribbean know their status, 74 percent are on treatment, and 66 percent are virally suppressed (up from 33% in 2017). Last year, deaths declined to 4,800 deaths (down from 6,100 people in 2020).
While the organisation applauds stakeholders for the progress in reducing AIDS-related deaths, UNAIDS said it is concerned about the rate of decline in new infections across the region. Noting that the progress is insufficient to reach the targets to end AIDS, UNAIDS urged political leaders, healthcare workers and other stakeholders to do more to prevent new HIV infections.