This year’s World AIDS Day commemorations in Kenya—led by the First Lady of Kenya, Margaret Kenyatta, at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi—were dedicated to young people, under the theme “Engage, prevent, celebrate”.

Thousands of young people joined the First Lady to celebrate the end of a presidential campaign to end HIV stigma, especially among adolescents and young people. The nationwide Kick out HIV Stigma campaign leveraged the power of football to mobilize young people to access stigma-free HIV counselling and testing services and HIV messages.

Ms Kenyatta was joined at the event by UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Luiz Loures. Ms Kenyatta presented trophies to the best performing girls’ and boys’ football teams and county governments that recorded exemplary performance in providing HIV testing and HIV messages to young people. The event also included a concert that engaged Kenyan popular artists to mobilize young people to test for HIV.

HIV is a significant health threat among young people in Kenya. In 2015, 36 000 new HIV infections and 3900 AIDS-related deaths occurred among young people aged 15–24 years. HIV-related stigma remains a significant barrier to many young people accessing HIV counselling, testing and life-saving treatment.

In seven months, the Kick out HIV Stigma campaign reached an estimated 15 million people with HIV messages and provided one-to-one mentorship to more than 3.8 million people and HIV counselling and testing to more than 800 000 people while linking people who tested HIV-positive to treatment. 

Quotes

Two major stars of the footballing world have joined forces to encourage young people in China to get informed and protect themselves from HIV. UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Youth and China-Africa Collaboration, Gervinho, and UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador for China, Shao Jiayi took part in an event with Chinese media called Sports For Change which was moderated by another UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador, the television personality, James Chau. The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, also attended the event in Beijing.

The event on 26 July honoured Gervinho in his new role. The football star, whose full name is Kouassi Gervais Yao moved to China in January 2016 to play for the Chinese Super League team, Hebei China Fortune. Originally from Côte d’Ivoire, Gervinho is already active in promoting HIV awareness and prevention to young people in Africa and will expand this work in China.

Shao Jiayi has actively used his popularity in China to speak up on issues surrounding HIV, highlight the challenges faced by people living with HIV in their everyday lives and encourage young people to take up leadership roles in the AIDS response.

Mr Sidibé, who is on a five-day visit to China, thanked the two football stars and Mr Chau for their continued efforts to reduce the impact of the AIDS epidemic in China and around the world. He also underlined how new HIV infections had to be stopped and stressed the role that Gervinho and Shao Jiayi could play in raising HIV awareness among young people.        

At the end of 2015, there were 3.9 million young people aged 15 to 24 living with HIV and 670 000 new HIV infections among this age group. 

Quotes

The Kazan Marathon, which commemorates the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, took place on 15 May in Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Under the slogan “Test yourself!”, more than 9000 people had the opportunity to test their endurance and learn about their HIV status.

With support from the Government of Tatarstan, the Republican AIDS Centre and the New Century nongovernmental organization, runners accessed voluntary, rapid HIV testing at the marathon site.

For the first time in the Russian Federation, a large-scale sporting event was dedicated to HIV. The President of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, was tested for HIV and called on all the marathon participants to follow his example. Gennady Onishchenko, Assistant to the Russian Prime Minister, Anna Popova, Head of Rospotrebnadzor, Sergey Kraevoi, Deputy Minister of Health, and Sergey Pospelov, Head of Rosmolodezh, came to Kazan from Moscow to support the event.

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Vera Brezhneva ran 3 kilometres of the marathon route together with other participants, including more than 50 people living with HIV. 

Quotes

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and the President of the Russian Olympic Committee and First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Alexander Zhukov, signed an agreement on 23 March to join forces to accelerate the global goal of ending the AIDS epidemic. The memorandum of understanding was signed on the sidelines of the fifth Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference, being held in Moscow, Russian Federation.

The memorandum of understanding commits UNAIDS and the Russian Olympic Committee to work together to raise HIV awareness among athletes and sports fans, promote access to HIV treatment and reduce the health, social and economic impact of the AIDS epidemic. The programme will also involve addressing stigma and discrimination affecting people living with HIV, including athletes.

UNAIDS and the Russian Olympic Committee will exchange and share know-how and will involve athletes, sports associations and nongovernmental organizations in HIV prevention and awareness efforts at the national and community levels. They will also cooperate in running media campaigns and other HIV-related programmes with athletes, coaches and other opinion leaders from the sports community in the Russian Federation and internationally, particularly in eastern Europe and central Asia.

UNAIDS has been working in partnership with the International Olympic Committee on AIDS awareness and HIV prevention since 2004.

Quotes

At the 16th FINA World Championships in aquatics, visitors, athletes and volunteers are learning more about HIV.  The event, being held from 24 July to 9 August in Kazan, Russia, is promoting Dive safely!, an initiative to raise awareness about HIV and encourage people to learn their HIV status. 

Located in the Dive safely! pavilion in the FINA Water World park, the initiative provides HIV prevention materials and offers free, confidential HIV tests to its visitors during the two week championship.

Opening the pavilion, the President of FINA, Dr Julio Maglioni said, "It is an unexpected gift for me to be here today. The AIDS response is very important for the health of our world. It is very important now to unite in order to stop this disease in the name of sport.”

Alexander Zhukov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee, invited all young people at the FINA World Championship to visit the Dive safely! pavilion and take an HIV test. “Every young person should know about HIV and know their status," said Mr Zhukov.

Alexander Zhukov confirmed that the Russian Olympic Committee will soon increase its cooperation on HIV prevention through a new agreement with UNAIDS, and will expand its HIV prevention projects during upcoming international sporting events in Russia, such as the World Football Championship in 2018. 

A social media campaign for the FINA World Championships led by the UNAIDS Regional Youth Red Ribbon Team—a group of young celebrities from Eastern Europe and Central Asia—was launched on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, encouraging people to learn about HIV and to post photos and messages with the hashtag #divesafely.

Since the pavilion was opened, more than 500 people have visited every day, with more than 200 people being tested onsite each day for HIV. The tests are carried out by doctors from the Republican AIDS Center of Tatarstan and any positive results are referred to the AIDS Center in Kazan.

Dilyara Vagapova, spokesperson for the #divesafely campaign, called on people to know their HIV status. "Together we can end AIDS in our countries. To be fashionable means to know your HIV status!"

Dive safely! (Легкой воды! in Russian) is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Executive Directorate for Sports Projects, the local non-governmental organization New Century (“Novyi Vek”),  the Tatarstan Republican AIDS Centre and UNAIDS.

Liu Jiulong is the first person in China to complete an AIDS RIDE. This fundraiser and HIV awareness raising bicycling event has been popular in other countries like the USA for many years. However, in China, fear of stigma and discrimination has kept many people living with HIV from taking part in public events.

“Cycling promotes a healthy lifestyle and the AIDS RIDE is a good way to promote correct knowledge about HIV prevention to the general public,” said Liu Jiulong.

His mission was to use the challenge to eliminate ignorance, misunderstanding, fear and discrimination against people living with HIV. His odyssey began on 4 May in Nanchang city, his home town. He rode his bike for 3 000 km, cycling through 27 cities. He completed his journey in Beijing 43 days later. Liu Jiulong hosted  30 outreach  events during his trip, reaching 16 million people online.

Speaking about his accomplishment after crossing the finish line, he said, “There were so many people involved and I enjoyed the mutual support we gave each other.”

Life was anything but great in 2007 when Liu Jiulong was diagnosed with HIV. He was working at an advertising company in Beijing. “I thought I wasn’t going to live to be 35 years old. I felt worthless and also very guilty and bad towards my family,” said Liu Jiulong. He also experienced stigma and discrimination when people stoppedspeaking to him after learningabout his status.

He felt so desperate that he even tried to commit suicide. Eventually, with the support of caring doctors, nurses and volunteer supporters at the Beijing Youan Hospital he made it through those dark days and decided to move back to his home town. He founded an organization called “Love Service Station” to support people living with HIV in Nanchang City.

Liu Jiulong started taking antiretroviral treatment for HIV in 2009 and said it has changed his life, “With life-saving treatment, I’m in a good situation. I can complete the 3 000 km AIDS RIDE.”

Liu Jiulong wants other people living with HIV to know that with effective self-management of HIV and by taking antiretroviral treatment, they can improve the quality of their life. He is proud of his recent achievement, “It’s a great feeling.”

Dive Safely!, an HIV prevention programme to raise awareness during the upcoming aquatic World Championships, was launched in Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Representatives of the Directorate of Sports Projects, the Ministry of Health of Tatarstan, the nongovernmental organization New Century and the UNAIDS Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia signed the agreement on 14 April in Kazan, capital of Tatarstan.

The project will encourage young people to be tested for HIV during the global sporting event, which will unite 2000 athletes from over 180 countries in six aquatic disciplines. Organized by the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) and hosted by the city of Kazan, the World Championships will be held from 24 July to 9 August.

Key components of the Dive Safely! programme include training sessions and workshops on HIV prevention for volunteers and staff of the Championships, a media campaign featuring sports celebrities and public figures and access to confidential rapid HIV testing and counselling at sport venues.

Vinay P. Saldanha, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, met with the Prime Minister of Tatarstan, Ildar Khalikov, to discuss collaboration on HIV prevention during the World Championships. In addition, they exchanged views on strategic opportunities for domestic manufacturing of high-quality, low-cost antiretroviral medicines in Tatarstan, which is important to close the gap in access to HIV treatment in the region.

In 2013, there were 1.1 million people living with HIV in eastern Europe and central Asia and the number of new HIV infections was estimated at 110 000.

Quotes

At the Cricket World Cup 2015, cricketing champions show their commitment to raise awareness around HIV and break down stigma and discrimination

AUCKLAND/GENEVA, 5 March 2015—Players and officials at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2015, being held in Australia and New Zealand, are raising awareness around HIV in efforts to eliminate discrimination and increase solidarity around ending the AIDS epidemic. Thirteen World Cup matches, including the final on 29 March, are being dedicated to THINK WISE, a partnership between the ICC, UNAIDS and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which uses the spirit of cricket to support global efforts to end the AIDS epidemic.

“Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world and the game’s champions have a real power to inspire young people and share knowledge about HIV,” said UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Jan Beagle. “The support of the cricketing world demonstrates how ending the AIDS epidemic is a common goal for people from all walks of life.”

Umpires are wearing the THINK WISE logo on their shirts throughout the World Cup and a video message recorded by ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador and Sri Lanka batting legend Kumar Sangakkara is playing on the giant stadium screens in all the matches featuring the campaign. Players and officials in the final match will wear red ribbons to show their commitment and solidarity for people living with and affected by HIV.

JP Duminy, Aaron Phangiso, Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell of the South African national cricket team took to the pitch with a team of young people in Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand, to encourage young fans to learn more about HIV. This special event, organized by the THINK WISE partners, together with the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, Positive Women Inc. and Body Positive, New Zealand, is part of the ongoing efforts to bring the issue of adolescent AIDS to the forefront.

“Adolescents aged 10 to 19 years old are the only age group where deaths due to AIDS are not decreasing,” said Craig McClure, Chief of HIV/AIDS and Associate Director of Programmes at UNICEF. “Stigma and discrimination are major contributors to preventing early diagnosis, treatment and care among adolescents. We can and we must remove the shame that clings to a positive diagnosis.”

South African players talked to the young fans about how HIV has affected the lives of millions of people in their home country. Star All-rounder JP Duminy said, “HIV is a serious issue for my country, but no matter where you are in the world, it’s important to get the facts about HIV. With cricket, we can use the spirit of cricket to help break down the stigma and discrimination around the disease.”

Encouraging the fans to mix their passion for cricket with a passion for action on HIV, the South Africa cricketers also gave the youth attending the event tips on how to improve their batting, bowling and fielding skills during a coaching session.

In 2013, there were around 35 million people living with HIV globally, many of whom live in major cricket-loving countries, including India and South Africa. Young people are particularly affected by HIV. In 2013, there were 250 000 new infections among adolescents and AIDS was the second leading cause of adolescent deaths worldwide.

Many of the matches are taking place in New Zealand, which has a strong HIV prevention programme and where HIV prevalence remains low. Despite this success, people living with HIV continue to be affected by stigma and discrimination in New Zealand. A recent survey conducted by AIDS organizations in New Zealand found that 50% of people surveyed would be uncomfortable having food prepared by someone living with HIV.

“Being a low prevalence country for HIV means that HIV is generally regarded as non-existent in New Zealand, which can make living with HIV here an extremely isolating experience,” said Jane Bruning of Positive Women Inc. “Initiatives such as THINK WISE help to raise awareness, which helps to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination.”

About the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

For more information on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, including team fixtures, go to: http://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup.

The official tournament hashtag is #cwc15.

Fast facts:

• The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
• Fourteen teams: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
• Fourteen host cities: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Hobart, Napier, Nelson, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Wellington.
• Forty-two pool matches—three in each host city.
• Every visiting team plays in both countries.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org Follow UNICEF on Facebook and Twitter.