WORLD AIDS DAY: “END INEQUALITIES END AIDS”

Each year on the 1st of December, organizations and individuals bring attention to the HIV epidemic, create awareness about the disease and speak out against stigmatization against people living with HIV.

HIV remains a major public health issue that affects millions across the world, there has been significant progress over the years but there is still some more effort that needs to be put in, as targets for 2020 were not met.

According to WHO, division, disparity, and disregard for human rights are among the failures that allowed HIV to become and remain a global health crisis. With the introduction of covid19, the disruption in services has made it more challenging for people living with HIV.

With the theme this year being “End inequalities, end AIDS” this is focusing on reaching people who have been left behind , WHO is trying to highlight the ever growing inequalities in access to essential HIV services. On 1 December 2021, WHO is calling on global leaders and citizens to rally to confront the inequalities that drive AIDS and to reach people who are currently not receiving essential HIV services.

It has been forty years since the first AIDS cases were reported, HIV is still a threat to the world. Today, the world is off track from delivering on the shared commitment to end AIDS by 2030 not because of a lack of knowledge or tools to beat AIDS, but because of structural inequalities that obstruct proven solutions to HIV prevention and treatment.