1 Dec 2009 is WORLD AIDS DAY

AIDS.gov: Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day

Worldwide the estimated number of people living with HIV is over 33 million. In the U.S., an estimated over one million Americans are living with HIV. World AIDS Day is an opportunity for us to work together to help reduce stigma around HIV and promote HIV Testing—here’s how you can join us in Facing AIDS in 3 easy steps

1. Take a Photo
* Download a Facing AIDS sign and tell us why you are Facing AIDS.
* Then take a photo of yourself wearing a red ribbon with your sign.
* Upload it to this Flickr group and/or our Facebook fan page

2. Change your Social Network Profile Status and picture. On December 1 social network profile picture to your Facing AIDS photo and your status to:
“[Your Name] is Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day. To find an HIV test site, text your ZIP to “KNOWIT” (566948), or visit www.HIVtest.org. Join me and post this to your status today.”

3. Share
* Ask your family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors to join the Campaign—here’s a flyer you can share.

Want to learn more or find other ways to Face AIDS for World AIDS Day? Check out our AIDS.gov World AIDS Day page .

http://www.aids.gov/world-aids-day/

HIV:Reality – UK Theme for World AIDS Day 2009

The UK theme for World AIDS Day 2009 will focus on the reality of HIV in the UK today. The aim is to present true, and sometimes surprising, accounts of how HIV affects people in the UK and to dispel myths and misinformation.
The slogan for World AIDS Day 2009 is:

HIV: Reality

And the call to action is:

Discover the real stories about HIV in the UK today. Understanding the facts is the key to fighting prejudice and protecting yourself and others.

http://www.worldaidsday.org/hivreality/your-stories.aspx

“HIV: Reality” builds on last year’s popular “Respect & Protect” theme and this strapline remains a component of this year’s execution.

NAT’s research has shown that public knowledge of HIV in the UK is declining and there is evidence of a worrying lack of understanding about HIV and its relevance in a UK context. For people to respect and protect themselves and others, they need to understand the facts and reality of HIV in the UK.

There is a strong link between our creative approach and the World AIDS Campaign’s focus this year on ‘living my rights’. We will be drawing on the international theme of “Universal Access and Human Rights”, particularly on our World AIDS day website, and will highlight the importance of universal access to information, prevention and testing for people at risk of infection.

A full range of “HIV: Reality” resources are available from NAT at https://shop.nat.org.uk.

Notes to the Editor:
For further information please contact:
Katherine Sladden Communications Officer NAT 020 7814 6733 [email protected]

NAT
NAT (National AIDS Trust) is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to transforming society’s response to HIV. We provide fresh thinking, expert advice and practical resources. We campaign for change. Shaping attitudes. Challenging injustice. Changing lives.

www.nat.org.uk

http://www.WorldAIDSday.org

http://www.worldaidsday.org.au

There are many ways you can take action in response to HIV/AIDS:

• get tested for HIV
• practice safer methods to prevent HIV
• decide not to engage in high risk behaviors
• talk about HIV prevention with family, friends, and colleagues
• provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS
• get involved with or host an event for World AIDS Day in your community

In the USA?
Call 1-800-444-6472 to speak to an information specialist about the HIV/AIDS Awareness Days.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 25, 2009

Presidential Proclamation– World AIDS Day

A PROCLAMATION

Our Nation joins the world in celebrating the extraordinary advancements we have made in the battle against HIV and AIDS, and remembering those we have lost. Over the past three decades, brave men and women have fought devastating discrimination, stigma, doubt, and violence as they stood in the face of this deadly disease. Many of them would not be here today, but for the dedication of other persons living with HIV, their loved ones and families, community advocates, and members of the medical profession. On World AIDS Day, we rededicate ourselves to developing a national AIDS strategy that will establish the priorities necessary to combat this devastating epidemic at home, and to renewing our leadership role and commitments abroad.

Though we have been witness to incredible progress, our struggle against HIV/AIDS is far from over. With an infection occurring every nine-and-a-half minutes in America, there are more than one million individuals estimated to be living with the disease in our country. Of those currently infected, one in five does not know they have the condition, and the majority of new infections are spread by people who are unaware of their own status. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate as it infiltrates neighborhoods and communities. Americans of any gender, age, ethnicity, income, or sexual orientation can and are contracting the disease.

Globally, there are over 33 million people living with HIV. While millions have died from this disease, the death rate is slowly declining due, in part, to our Nation’s global effort through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program. However, HIV remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Women and children around the world are particularly vulnerable due to gender inequalities, gaps in access to services, and increases in sexual violence. While the statistics are distressing, new medications and scientific advancements give us reason for hope.

Tackling this disease will take an aggressive, steadfast approach. My Administration is developing a national HIV/AIDS strategy to bolster our response to the domestic epidemic, and a global health initiative that will build on PEPFAR’s success. We will develop a strategy to reduce HIV incidence, improve access to care, and help eliminate HIV-related health disparities. We have already ensured that visitors to our shores living with HIV are not marginalized and discriminated against because of their HIV status. We have also secured the continuation of critical HIV/AIDS care and treatment services. Today, we recommit ourselves to building on the accomplishments of the past decades that have dramatically changed the domestic and global HIV/AIDS landscape.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 1, 2009, as World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and the territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and the American people to join in appropriate activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and to provide support and comfort to those living with this disease.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA