Special edition: What will it take to reverse HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia?

This Week in Global Development · Mar 23, 2026 · 18m

While HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are declining globally, the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, or EECA, tells a different story. It is now home to one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics, with over 2.1 million people living with the virus. Alarmingly, about 20% are unaware of their status, and nearly half remain without treatment. Since 2010, EECA has become the only region globally where AIDS-related deaths have continued to rise, fueled by systemic challenges like stigma, restrictive laws, and the devastating impact of the war in Ukraine.

In this special episode…