Austrian Federal President Dr Heinz Fischer, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme, Dr Luiz Loures, UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Credit: AIDS Life

The Life Ball 2013, Europe’s biggest AIDS charity event, brought to the Austrian city of Vienna on 25 May celebrities and influential leaders in the global AIDS response to celebrate the 21st edition of one of the largest AIDS fundraising events worldwide. Organised by Gery Keszler in his capacity as chairman of the NGO AIDS LIFE, this year’s Life Ball was held under the theme “1001 nights”. All proceeds from this year’s event will go towards reaching the international goal of eliminating new HIV infections in children and keeping their mothers alive.  

During the star-studded evening high-profile guests included former United States President   Bill Clinton, UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sir Elton John, singer Fergie representing amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, Editor-in-chief of the Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, former Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks International, Bill Roedy, and fashion designer Roberto Cavalli who hosted this year’s Life Ball fashion show.  

The role of UNAIDS in achieving the global success against AIDS was highlighted by celebrities and global leaders at the gala dinner. "We can celebrate tonight the work of UNAIDS. A lot of the success and work achieved so far has been championed by UNAIDS, the Global Fund, the Elton John foundation and other partners,” said President Clinton

At the international press conference before the grand opening UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stressed the need to join efforts to stop new HIV infections among children. "It is every mother's wish to have a healthy child and it is every woman's right to live a life with dignity and access to health services,” said Ms Bachchan. “It is everybody's responsibility. In my role as UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador I will do my best but the media can play a huge role and I ask you to help me spread the message," added Ms Bachchan.

For the third year in a row UNAIDS co-hosted the AIDS Solidarity Gala, a dinner at the Hofburg Palace which directly preceded the ball. The patron of the gala was the Austrian Federal President Dr Heinz Fischer, which provided the event with political backing at the highest level.

"The AIDS response in the future will be led, shaped, and defined by young people. If we fail to build our AIDS response that is inclusive of young girls and young men who have sex with men we cannot achieve the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic,” said UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme, Dr Luiz Loures. “Following Sir Elton John's words: we are going to the end of AIDS but we need to make sure we leave no one behind,” he added.

The Life Ball itself began with the opening ceremony spectacle of tens of thousands of people thronging City Hall Square for a two-hour show staged on a gigantic red ribbon.

L to R: UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme, Dr Luiz Loures, Sir Elton John and former Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks International, Bill Roedy.

This year’s Crystal of Hope Award—a 100 000 euro award given to individuals who are making a difference in the AIDS response—was presented by actor and producer Hilary Swank  to representatives of the transnational project ‘The Girl Effect’, an initiative that supports young women to fight poverty and keep themselves safe from HIV. They were: Lisa T.D. Nguyen from Cambodia, Patricia Suriel from the Dominican Republic, Sulaiman Turay from Cameroon and Sadie St. Denis from Uganda.

Following the opening ceremony some 4 000 invited guests entered City Hall for an all-night event involving international performers.  

Thousands of children and their mothers are expected to benefit from the several million dollars following Life Ball 2013. Organisers hope that this year’s event will not only help to stop children becoming infected, but also further strengthen solidarity, understanding, and tolerance towards those living with and affected by HIV.

Mrs Rai Bachchan toured the facilities of the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital in Mumbai where she had the opportunity to speak to pregnant women living with HIV.

On World AIDS Day, UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Aishwarya Rai Bachchan visited local hospital facilities in her hometown of Mumbai, India to learn more about the services provided to HIV positive pregnant women.

Mrs Rai Bachchan toured the facilities of the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital in Mumbai where she had the opportunity to speak to pregnant women living with HIV benefitting from HIV services. “I am very impressed with what I have been seeing. The women I spoke with will all have healthy babies because they have access to the needed medicines,” said Mrs Rai Bachchan.

Mrs Rai Bachchan emphasised the importance of all pregnant women to go for an HIV test and to know their status. Accessing HIV services on time will contribute to stopping new HIV infections among children and keeping the mothers healthy. “I commit to work towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children not only in India, but globally,” she said.

During the visit to the hospital, Mrs Rai Bachchan also met with Aradhana Johri, Additional Secretary of the National AIDS Control Programme. Ms Johri stressed that the HIV prevalence in the country had declined to 0.27% as of 2011, new HIV infections had been reduced by more than half and HIV related deaths had also come down. "We are proud to be associated with what has been recognised as a global success,” said Ms Johri. “We are balancing a prevention approach with treatment and lastly, we are working to ensure that every person who is infected lives a life of dignity."

L to R: UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Naomi Watts; UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Aishwarya Rai Bachchan; UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé; Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals to the United Nations Secretary-General, Professor Jeffrey Sachs; and Founder and President of the Advanced Development for Africa (ADA) Foundation and conference Chairperson Ms. Coumba D. Touré at the Yale Club, NYC. September 24, 2012.

First Ladies of several African countries, government officials and representatives from international and civil society organizations working on development and women’s issues gathered in New York on the side-lines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting to discuss ways to empower women and youth especially through digital technologies.

Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé participated in the session entitled Partnership in action: Ensuring children everywhere are born HIV-free. Calling on women to lead the way for social justice, Mr Sidibé introduced two UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassadors Naomi Watts and Aishwarya Rai Bachan. “These two women have the power to change the world—nothing could be nobler than a generation free from HIV,” he said.

Speaking about her experiences in the field Ms Watts focused on the importance of partnerships in the incredible progress made in getting to zero new HIV infections among children. “But we are not there yet. One baby is born with HIV almost every minute and currently only one of every four children in need of treatment is actually receiving it. To me, these are not facts and figures but faces with families,” she said. “Surely we can keep moving until we get to zero.”

Mrs Rai Bachchan, who was appointed a new Goodwill Ambassador earlier in the day, shared her passion to learn and to make a real difference in the lives of women and families. She also called on the media to do its part. “We need to draw attention to something that needs attention,” she said. “Women need to find their voice, anywhere a baby is born we need to work there.”

The event also focused on the advances in technology and health. The provision of health services and information via mobile technologies such as mobile phones, also known as mobile health or mHealth, has been proven effective in providing greater access to healthcare to populations in low income countries. Using such technology has also shown cost efficiencies and an improvement in the capacity of health systems to provide quality healthcare.

Recent evidence from randomized scientific trials and studies has demonstrated that SMS messaging in particular can positively impact treatment outcomes. For example, results from a study conducted in Kenya on November 2010, showed that patients who received SMS support had significantly higher adherence to antiretroviral treatment.

With 5.3 billion mobile subscribers across the globe and almost 90% of the world’s population covered by a wireless signal, the mobile phone has become the most widely spread communica­tions technology platform. Participants at the meeting brought ideas on how mobile technologies could help scale up access to health for women and youth in low and middle-income countries.

A multitude of mHealth solutions have emerged over the years in countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, according to the Global Observatory for eHealth at the World Health Organization. However, a recent report commissioned by the Advance Development for Africa Foundation, highlights that despite the strong promise demonstrated by mHealth tools and applications, the current land­scape is characterized by a proliferation of unsustainable pilot projects that often expire once initial funding is exhausted.

The event was co-hosted by Advance Development for Africa Foundation, Digital He@lth Initiative and the Global Partnerships Forum in cooperation with UNAIDS, UNDP, UN Office for Partnerships, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, and UN Habitat.

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 24 September 2012—On the eve of the 67^th United Nations General Assembly, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed global Indian icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as International Goodwill Ambassador. In her new role she will help raise awareness on issues related to stopping new HIV infections in children and advocate for increased access to antiretroviral treatment.

Mrs Rai Bachchan has been involved in humanitarian issues for many years and will now have a special focus on HIV. "I am honoured to accept this appointment. Spreading awareness on health issues, especially related to women and children, has always been a priority for me. And now, as a new mother, I can personally relate to this––the joys and concerns of every mother and the hopes that we have for our children. I strongly believe that every baby should be born free from HIV. And I wish that every woman living with HIV stays healthy and has access to treatment. I promise that with UNAIDS, I will do my utmost to make this happen."

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé welcomed Mrs Rai Bachchan to the UNAIDS family. “Mrs Rai Bachchan is respected and admired by millions of people around the world,” said Mr Sidibé. “I am convinced that through her global outreach, Mrs Rai Bachchan can help UNAIDS reach its goal of eliminating new HIV infections among children by 2015.”

The main focus of Mrs Rai Bachchan will be to advocate for the Global Plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children and keeping their mothers alive. This plan was launched at the United Nations in June 2011.

The Global Plan focuses on 22 countries including India, which account for more than 90% of all new HIV infections among children. Twenty one of them are in sub-Saharan Africa, where the estimated number of children newly infected with HIV fell by 25%, from 360 000 in 2009 to 270 000 in 2011. Progress in sub-Saharan Africa has been made possible through rapid improvement in access to services that prevent new infections in children. There was a dramatic increase in coverage of services in the 21 sub-Saharan African countries between 2009 and 2011: from 34% to 61%. HIV transmission rates from mother-to child have also declined since 2010 with the introduction of more effective prophylaxis regimens.

“Through her work in raising awareness of the issues and advocating for increased access to services Mrs Rai Bachchan will be instrumental in helping to ensure that no more babies are born with HIV and that their mothers stay alive and healthy,” said Mr Sidibé. “We look forward to working with her to reach our collective goals.”