PARIS, France (AFP) — International funding for the fight against HIV fell by nearly a fifth last year, the United Nations warned on Monday as a major AIDS conference began in Brazil.

The world’s response to the HIV epidemic is “absolutely faltering” after the biggest decline in funding in decades, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Angeli Achrekar told AFP.

The United States dramatically slashed foreign aid after Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, with European nations including France, Germany and the UK following suit.