aids-day

World AIDS Day on December 1 is a moment to celebrate the incredible progress made in the fight to end HIV/AIDS, while also honoring and uniting behind the 78 million people currently living with HIV and the 35 million people we have lost to AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses.

The world is coming together to end HIV by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals. Thanks to programs like the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and organizations like the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, along with country leadership and countless civil society advocates, there are more than 18.2 million people around the world on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV.

However, there are still just as many people living with HIV who are unaware of their status and who do not have access to ARVs, many of whom are among the most vulnerable people, including: women and girls, sex workers and their clients, intravenous drug users, men who have sex with men, and transgender people.

Now is the time to come together to fight even harder, reach the most vulnerable and marginalized populations, invest in innovative solutions, and honor the lives we’ve lost by ensuring that we do not leave anyone behind.

It’s the message we heard loud and clear coming out of the International AIDS Conference (IAC) in July 2016. During the conference, I interviewed many of the experts and advocates working to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Check out the video below to hear their messages. Also check out some of the ways you can get more involved.

  1. Help fight HIV/AIDS and knock out your holiday shopping at the same time with (SHOAPTHON)RED. Every dollar (RED) raises this year will be matched by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — up to $78 MILLION. #SHOPATHON #endAIDS
  1. Watch The Global Fund’s “Say No to Sex for Fish,” video to learn how the Global Fund is working to increase women’s empowerment and gender equality, which are key to preventing HIV, in a small fishing village in Kenya.
  1. Check out UNAIDS “Hands up for #HIVPrevention” campaign and messaging to learn more about aspects of HIV prevention and what it means for different groups of people.
  1. Learn more about the World Health Organization’s new guidance on HIV self-testing and other work to end HIV/AIDS by 2030.