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State Department reportedly informed employees earlier this month to refrain from commemorative messaging on World AIDS Day
Ariana BaioThursday 27 November 2025 01:56 GMTComments
CloseWorld Aids Day: the annual HIV awareness campaign
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The State Department will no longer commemorate World AIDS Day with public messaging, ending a decades-long tradition of the administration recognizing those who have died of the disease and raising awareness on December 1.
Earlier this month, the State Department reportedly instructed employees and grantees not to use federal funding to commemorate the day as part of a federal government policy to “refrain from messaging on any commemorative days,” the New York Times reported Wednesday.
That includes refraining from “publicly promoting World AIDS Day through any communication channels, including social media, media engagements, speeches, or other public-facing messaging,” according to an email seen by NYT and the Substack “To End a Plague… Again.”
Personnel are still permitted to attend external, locally organized events but may not speak at the events or promote their attendance online, the email added.
In a statement to the NYT, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, “An awareness day is not a strategy. Under the leadership of President Trump, the State Department is working directly with foreign governments to save lives and increase their responsibility and burden sharing.”
open image in galleryThe White House, pictured in 2017, has previously commemorated World AIDS Day on December 1 every year (AFP/Getty)The Independent has asked the White House and State Department for comment.
Since 1988, World AIDS Day has been recognized internationally as a day to raise awareness for the AIDS pandemic and mourn those who have died from the life-threatening disease, which is caused by HIV.
Though former President Ronald Reagan was the first to publicly mention AIDS in a 1985 speech, former President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to mark the day with a Presidential Proclamation in 1993.
It’s unclear if President Donald Trump plans to make a presidential proclamation for World AIDS Day on December 1.
Each year on World AIDS Day, the State Department highlights the work of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR – the U.S.’s global funding to combat HIV/AIDS that began in 2003.
open image in galleryPresident Joe Biden recognized World AIDS Day on December 1, 2024 – potentially the last time the White House will mark a public display of commemoration (Getty Images)Through PEPFAR, the government has invested more than $120 billion into HIV/AIDS response all across the globe, saving an estimated 26 million lives by preventing infection and supporting countries' efforts to control the epidemic.
The program, which falls under the State Department, faced steep cutbacks this year after Trump temporarily halted all HIV-related funding. Although the administration resumed funding, it has proposed cutting PEPFAR funding by $1.9 billion in the 2026 fiscal year – though that has not been finalized by Congress.
The U.S. is the largest donor to the global AIDS response, according to the United Nations. Even small cuts have a tangible impact on the world’s effort to combat HIV/AIDS.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS released a report this month indicating an unknown number of people have died and millions have lost access to medicine due to global funding cuts.
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