HIV is concentrated here in sub-Saharan Africa. But 90% of the countries with the highest burden of HIV are also highly indebted countries, either ranked as in debt distress or at high risk of debt distress. An unfair global financial architecture results in cyclic debt traps for developing countries. Two out of three countries in this region are paying 4x more towards debt servicing than to the health of their people. Such inequalities between and within countries are driving pandemics. 📽️ youtube.com/watch?v=khd6Jvd4…

The global HIV response exposed this clearly. Life‑saving treatment existed in 1996—but patents kept prices far out of reach of those in need, at $10,000 per person per year. Millions were denied care. An estimated 12 million people, mostly in Africa, died. This was a failure of global rules, not science.

Since 2000, the richest 1% captured over 40% of all new wealth—while the bottom half received just 1%. Meanwhile, 1 in 4 people globally are skipping bills, even as aid to the poorest is being cut. #EndInequalities #GlobalDevelopment 🔗 unaids.org/en/speeches/2026/…

In my @OfficialUoM lecture, “The Oligarchic Order,” I argued inequality is not a side effect of the global system. It is designed into it. And today, it is breaking both multilateralism and democracy. But I remain an optimist: if we tackle the root causes of inequality, we can rebuild trust in both. 🔗unaids.org/en/speeches/2026/…