Feature story

CONCACAF and UNAIDS team up to engage football in the response to AIDS

19 April 2013

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and UNAIDS signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 19 April in Panama City, Panama and agreed to engage football in the AIDS response, particularly among young people.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 2013 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship in the presence of CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb and Senior Adviser Dr Djibril Diallo, who represented UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. It was signed in the presence of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke and Confederation of African Football (CAF) Secretary General Hishram ElAmrani.

The two organizations agreed to carry out joint advocacy and communication activities in competitions organized by CONCACAF in support of the UNAIDS “Protect the Goal” campaign. This initiative was launched in January at the 2013 Orange Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa and is part of UNAIDS’ sport for global advocacy programme. The campaign promotes HIV prevention and treatment, in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Quotes

HIV prevention and football are a winning combination. Millions of young people are involved in football either as players or fans and CONCACAF is a key partner. Together we can reach millions of young people and ensure they have access to accurate information about HIV, so that they can protect themselves and lead healthy and productive lives.

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS

We are keen to join forces with UNAIDS to reach out to millions of young people in the Americas with HIV protection messages. This signature will allow CONCACAF and UNAIDS to build coordinated efforts in order to help promote the “Protect the Goal” campaign in this region.

Jeffrey Webb, President, CONCACAF