A Year of Crisis and Promise
2025 underscored the vital role that AVAC plays in the global health ecosystem, and why our work and our partnerships have never been more essential.
Long-standing commitments to HIV and global health were rolled back; politics interfered in science delivery and misinformation and distrust were at an all-time high. In this moment of crisis and possibility, AVAC did what it has done for 30 years. We showed up, spoke out and worked with partners to push the field forward. This Year in Review captures how AVAC navigated 2025 and the impact of our work.
We led and supported a broad, coordinated response to defend HIV research. Through policy engagement, tracking new developments via Global Health Watch and high-visiblity actions like the Save HIV Research marathon, AVAC mobilized advocates, researchers, policymakers and communities to make the case for science, helping to keep research funding and scientific integrity on the agenda at a critical moment.
Through it all, AVAC delivered the most trusted HIV prevention data, tools and analysis, from pipeline tracking and infographics to real-time monitoring of prevention access and rollout; advanced conversations on prevention and rolled out an updated People’s Research Agenda, grounded in the reality that science only matters if people support it, can access, choose and use it; and applied our core policy, advocacy and communications competencies in HIV prevention to expanded work on HIV cure research and on sexually transmitted infections.
This report highlights AVAC’s role as a trusted voice, a translator of science and catalyst for action and advocacy. It reflects an organization ready for the future: supporting African leadership, strengthening bridges from R&D to delivery and preparing for a new chapter as we move forward into our fourth decade as an organization.
Thank you for being part of this work, and for standing with AVAC in this defining year.
Our Achievements
Through a tumultuous year, AVAC continued to fight for science, research and equity—and achieve important wins to help advance HIV programs, biomedical research and global health generally. Read our report for five emblematic stories.
Together, these stories demonstrate AVAC’s unwavering commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic and advancing global health equity and the collective impact of the organization and its partners.
AVAC’s Impact by the Numbers
From accelerating HIV prevention breakthroughs to protecting global health investments, these numbers reflect our impact in action: how our evidence-based advocacy, research engagement, policy influence and partnerships translated into measurable progress across HIV, STI and global health priorities.
$2 billion
in frozen foreign aid funds paid back to implementing partners for completed work as part of AVAC’s lawsuit against the US government
$400 million
in PEPFAR funds saved from Congressional rescissions through successful advocacy by global health advocates, including AVAC and partners
10,000 participants
reached globally through the 24-Hour Marathon to Save AIDS Research, bringing critical attention to HIV research and the risk of funding cuts
90,000 visitors
to the PrEPWatch website, featuring the most comprehensive global PrEP initiation dataset and access to over 1,000 resources
6 LEN milestones
achieved in the first 15 months following efficacy results, 5 years faster than oral PrEP and 2 years faster than CAB, facilitated by AVAC’s work to produce evidence-based materials and coordinate stakeholder communication and joint decision-making
48 issues
of Global Health Watch published in 2025, serving as the field’s go-to source for updates on U.S. policy and its impact on global health and research
2,800 subscribers
to The Choice Agenda, a global forum for advocates and experts to discuss the latest HIV prevention news and share resources; TCA hosted 55 webinars since 2022 that reached thousands more
12 ministries of health
in early lenacapavir (LEN) adopter countries supported in planning for roll-out and 7 civil society organizations supported to advance civil society engagement in LEN roll-out, creating a multi-pronged approach for technical assistance that prioritized community needs, country leadership and equity
61 trial sites
launched recruitment for the MK-8527 Phase 3 trials of a monthly oral PrEP pill, backed by AVAC’s Good Participatory Practice guidelines and community engagement, informed and guided by AVAC and partners, throughout the design and implementation process
93 research products
tracked across the R&D pipeline as part of the updated People’s Research Agenda to advance community-driven priorities in HIV prevention research
7 Fellows
supported through the end of program in 2025 and transitioned into the ranks of nearly 100 Alumni Fellows since the program’s inception in 2009
Read the Report Online
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AVAC in the News
Throughout the year, AVAC was a leading, public voice in fighting the administration and promoting the need for HIV prevention research and access. Visit here for a full list. Selected television appearances below.
February 27, 2025 — ABC News
Head of AIDS Advocacy Program on Suit Against Trump Administration
ABC News’ Phil Lipof spoke with Mitchell Warren about the organization’s lawsuit against the Trump administration over the funding freeze.
March 26, 2025 — Democracy Now
“Lift the Freeze”: HIV/AIDS Advocates Win Supreme Court Victory in Fight Over Trump Foreign Assistance Cuts
Mitchell Warren and Public Citizen Litigation Group’s Nicolas Sansone spoke with Amy Goodman in a televised interview about the foreign assistance freeze case and the impact of the new administration’s orders on global health.
July 1, 2025 — PBS NewsHour
How a New Twice-Yearly Drug Is Prompting Hopes of Curbing HIV Cases
The FDA has approved a breakthrough preventative treatment for HIV that could change the course of the AIDS epidemic. William Brangham and Mitchell Warren discussed the promise of the newly approved LEN for PrEP at changing to course of the AIDS epidemic.
December 1, 2025 — ABC News
Presidential HIV Council Warns Proposed Cuts Could Reverse Decades of Progress
Mitchell Warren discussed the potential impact of the Trump administration’s proposed cuts.
A special thanks to our donors, who have made this critical work possible through their sustained support. To our partners, thank you for the constant solidarity and collaboration that makes our collective work matter.