Initiated in 1998 and observed on December 1, World AIDS Day was the first time ever a health day was observed globally. The day is an opportunity for everyone around the world to come together in the fight against the disease and stand in solidarity to support those suffering from HIV, as well as remember those who lost their lives to this illness.
The idea to observe World AIDS Day was conceived to make the most of a media gap between the U.S. presidential elections of 1988 and Christmas. Broadcast journalist James Bunn, who had newly taken a post at the World Health Organization, believed that after a year of election campaigns, the public would be drawn to coverage of AIDS on air. Along with his colleague Thomas Netter, Bunn assessed December 1 as the ideal date for the observance and spent the following 16 months planning and executing the inaugural event.
The theme of the first World AIDS Day was centered on children and youth, to create greater awareness amongst the target age bracket, and the impact of AIDS on their lives and their families. It was also made apparent that AIDS was not limited to commonly stigmatized groups such as drug users.
From 1996 onwards, the observance of World AIDS Day was taken over by the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, expanding the campaign to an annual education and prevention campaign. The World AIDS Campaign was registered as a nonprofit organization in 2004 in the Netherlands.
EVENT INFO :
- Start Date:December 1, 2023
- End Date:December 1, 2023
- Location:WorldWide