Captain of the South African cricket team and Think Wise champion Graeme Smith and a young participant take a catch at the training session organized with people living with HIV.

Sonu Kumar grips the cricket ball in his hand, takes his run up and bowls a fast ball. Reacting quickly, his opponent angles his bat and smashes the ball out of the ground for six.

But this is no ordinary cricket match. Sonu is a 14 year-old living with HIV, knocking around balls with cricketing great Graeme Smith and his colleagues from the South African team. The occasion, a special HIV awareness-raising practice session organized as part of the International Cricket Council, UNAIDS and UNICEF Think Wise campaign during the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

The Think Wise campaign encourages young people to learn how to prevent HIV infection and stand up against stigma and discrimination. At the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi, Graeme Smith—South African Captain and official ambassador for the Think Wise campaign— and teammates took time out of their match schedules to promote the campaign messages.

“We play sport and love cricket, like so many others in this country. By training together the cricketers are showing their support for people living with HIV and help break down discrimination we often face,” said Sonu.

In the presence of supporters and media, a group of ten young people joined the elite cricketers, mixing training with talking about HIV. They participated in drills on the field with Richard Pybus, coach of the South African cricket team. Later the young people discussed their experience living with HIV with the team, asking questions about the role of cricketers in addressing issues of HIV related stigma.

 “HIV is a very real disease and has affected people all around the world including in our country and here in India,” said Mr Smith during the practice session. “The key for us is to educate people during the tournament—to help prevent HIV and to show that people living with HIV lead normal lives. I believe this will contribute in reducing stigma,” he said.

Underlining the broad reach of cricket in India and across the world, UNAIDS Country Coordinator Charles Gilks said, “Cricket has a huge following in India and cricket stars can be very powerful agents for change. We are particularly pleased to link up with Think Wise champions as we aim for the UNAIDS’ hat-trick of zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.”

Hospital gets Sehwag treatment

In another Think Wise activity taking place in India, Think wise champion and India’s opening batsman Virender Sehwag called on cricket fans across the world to stop discrimination against people living with HIV.

Mr Sehwag made his plea after visiting the Haji Sir Ismail Sait Ghosha hospital in Bengaluru where he met people whose lives have been affected by HIV.

“People living with HIV are no different from anybody else. There needs to be more awareness of what it means to be living with HIV,” said Mr Sehwag. “As cricketers, particularly in a country like India, we are in a position to help influence attitudes and behaviour and by being involved in the Think Wise campaign hopefully I can play my part,” he said.

Participants of the ‘Mini Cricket World Cup’ schools tournament are presented with awards in Bangladesh

As the overs are bowled, the wickets fall and the crowds go crazy in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, host-country Bangladesh is giving the tournament an HIV spin. Through the Think Wise campaign the tournament is raising awareness among young people on HIV prevention and reducing stigma.

The Think Wise campaign, led by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF, harnesses the power of cricket to prevent HIV. Together with co- host countries—India and Sri Lanka—Bangladesh is organizing a number of “Think Wise” activities throughout the World Cup tournament that runs from 19 February – 2 April.

One such activity was the Schools Programme event where the World Cup was used as a platform to promote the sport, as well as to share information on HIV. Sixty of the country’s schools participated in the orientation which included the lively presence of “Stumpy the elephant”, the official mascot of the ICC event.

“I really appreciate this initiative! We don’t get to know this information about HIV usually and my perception about AIDS has changed,” said one of the young participants. A selection of the schools then took part in a ‘mini world cup’ cricket tournament, where HIV messages were shared with players and supporters through video, information and education materials in English and Bangla. “I’m now educated about HIV by coming here! It’s a great initiative for young people,” said one of the young men visiting the special UNAIDS booth.

The Bangladesh campaign received a high-profile boost from an announcement of the country’s team captain Sakib Al Hasan. “As Think Wise Champion, I’m happy to use my current popularity to raise awareness on AIDS,” said Mr Hasan at a press conference announcing his role. “We [cricketers] want to leave behind a legacy of social awareness of AIDS so young people will get to know more about HIV.”

“The involvement of cricketing heroes helps raise the profile among young people—and all cricketing fans,” said UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Bangladesh, Salil Panakadan. “Through the Think Wise campaign we have established important relationships with the Bangladesh Cricket Board, business partners, the media and we have sparked the interest and passion of young people. This gives us a tremendous opportunity to build on even after the last tournament over is bowled,” Dr Panakadan added.

A host of additional activities will take place in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka as the tournament continues including site visits and interaction between star players and key affected communities. Cricket teams will wear red ribbons on their shirts in key matches and HIV prevention messages will be promoted at venues on all match days.

In the comic UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassadors Michael Ballack and Emmanuel Adebayor talk about HIV
Credit: 'Score the Goals' An educational comic book about the MDGs

A new comic book for children featuring Michael Ballack and other football stars who are United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors was launched on 24 January at the United Nations in Geneva, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, Mr Wilfried Lemke.

“Score the Goals: Teaming Up to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals”  is a 32-page educational comic book aimed at 8 to 12 year old children to provides a fun interactive way to help understand and reflect on the eight Millennium Development Goals.

The story features ten football United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors, including Michael Ballack, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roberto Baggio, Iker Casillas, Didier Drogba, Luis Figo, Raúl, Ronaldo, Patrick Vieira, and Zinédine Zidane.

The star-studded team journey to play an “all-star” charity football game in support of the United Nations. On the way they shipwreck on a deserted island and the story explores how the team copes by team spirit and survivor skills with the challenges that life on a deserted island brings.

The story simultaneously educates and entertains the young readers who are also invited to take action through several activities provided in the adjoining educational guide. The reader is invited to learn about the world’s challenges in ending hunger, universal education, gender equity, child health, maternal health, HIV, environmental sustainability, global partnership.

In 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders at United Nations Headquarters in New York adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The Declaration, endorsed by 189 countries, committed nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and it set out a series of targets to be reached by 2015. These have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In the comic Michael Ballack and fellow UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Emmanuel Adebayor talk about HIV in reference to Goal 6 which sets out by 2015 to have halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV.

Michael Ballack who has been a UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador since 2006 is convinced of the importance of reaching young people with accurate information about HIV.

“I want people to know more about HIV as well as the other Millennium Development Goals because health and development are interlinked,” said Michael Ballack. “Everybody should have equal access to information and I hope that with this comic book we can reach out to a large young audience with important messages.”

The project has been carried out in a ‘One-UN’ spirit as an inter-agency collaboration between the UN Office for Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UN Department of Public Information (DPI), and the Stop TB Partnership.
The comic book is available in English, French and Spanish and other languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian, will be made available in the near future.

Sri Lankan cricket player Kumar Sangakkara in a new public service announcement that encourages young people to inform themselves about HIV
Credit: International Cricket Council (ICC)

They may be rivals on the field of play, but international cricketing stars Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara have joined together to support a new “Think Wise” campaign ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The players feature in a public service announcement—released today and available to all broadcasters across the globe—that encourages young people to inform themselves about HIV, take appropriate action to prevent HIV infection, and stand together against HIV-related stigma and discrimination. The new campaign is led by the International Cricketing Council (ICC), in partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF.

“The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 provides an opportunity to use our status as cricketers to deliver important social messages to the millions of supporters who will be watching the tournament across the world,” said India’s Virender Sehwag. “I hope this public service announcement can encourage young people to get the facts and protect themselves from HIV.”

Sehwag and Sangakkara have been active supporters of the ICC partnership since it was formed in 2003, visiting HIV projects at ICC events and promoting HIV prevention and stigma reduction messages. Other cricketing stars in the partnership include Graeme Smith (South Africa), Shakib-Al-Hasan (Bangladesh) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies).

“It is important that young people around the world have access to the right information to help them make informed decisions and break down stigma and discrimination,” said Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara. “Through this public service announcement, I want to help stop the spread of HIV.”

A number of other “Think Wise” activities are planned during this year’s Cricket World Cup, which runs from 19 February through 2 March, with matches across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Cricket players will participate in a series of interactions focused on HIV prevention with local community groups in the three host countries. Cricket teams will wear red ribbons on their shirts in key matches during the competition and HIV prevention messages will be promoted at venues on all match days.

Notes to editors

The public service announcement is available to broadcasters, for editorial use, from an ICC ftp site. Visit via Windows Explorer ftp://internationalcricketcouncil.net/ThinkWise.
Username: thinkw-read
Password: icchiv_123

Kumar Sangakkara taking part in community visits to support the Think Wise partnership during the ICC World Twenty20 2010 earlier this year in West Indies. Credit: ICC

International cricket will mark World AIDS Day and show its support for people living with HIV this week. Players will wear red ribbons on their shirts during international matches.

On 1 December 2010 players and match officials will wear red ribbons in the One-Day International matches between Bangladesh-Zimbabwe, India-New Zealand and Sri Lanka-West Indies; as well as on the opening day of the Ashes Test Match between Australia and England on 3 December. There will also be activities taking place at South Africa’s domestic matches to show support for people living with HIV.

Sri Lanka captain and Think Wise champion Kumar Sangakkara believes it is vital that cricketers show their support for the Think Wise initiative, a joint partnership between the ICC, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative. The campaign to raise awareness around HIV prevention and reduce discrimination towards people living with HIV has been running since 2003.

“It is very important because many of the people living with HIV across the world live in cricket-playing countries. It is something that you cannot escape no matter where we play,” said Sangakkara.

“Lack of awareness about HIV is compounded by the discrimination that people living with HIV face. It is therefore important to create awareness to stop the spread of the virus while also curbing discrimination, and as international cricketers, we can help to achieve this objective,” he said.

The UNAIDS Global Report gives new evidence that investments in HIV prevention are producing significant results in many of the highest burden countries. Despite these gains, an estimated 2.6 million people became newly infected with HIV and 1.8 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2009, and 33.3 million people were estimated to be living with HIV.

“The red ribbon that we wear symbolizes our support for the cause to help those with HIV and AIDS to live a full and productive life in society without giving up hope. It is a disease that we should fight by understanding how it spreads and encouraging people to talk about things like sexuality in their homes,” said Sangakkara.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Players will also wear red ribbons in important matches at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, including the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches. South Africa’s skipper Graeme Smith, also a Think Wise champion, is delighted that that cricket will continue to show its public support for people living with HIV, particularly at the sport’s flagship event.

“You only have to look at the statistics to understand why I am passionate, as the captain of South Africa, to make a difference to HIV awareness. 1.8 million people die of AIDS-related deaths each year and nearly three-quarters of them come from Sub-Saharan Africa. These are people who watch me play cricket on television, support me in the stadium and this makes it all seem very real to me,” said Graeme Smith.

“If I can use my position as international cricketer to deliver important social messages, such as encouraging young people to use protection and wear a condom, and reduce the number of new infections then it is something that I am happy to do. By wearing a red ribbon we are sending a message to the millions of fans across the world that you shouldn’t discriminate against people living with HIV,” he concluded.

African Women Championship 2010, group A match: South Africa vs Tanzania, 31 October 2010 Credit: CAF

Captains of all eight national teams competing in the 2010 African Women’s Football Championship in South Africa have joined forces to support the Give AIDS the Red Card campaign to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The campaign was initiated during the 2010 FIFA World Cup by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and Kirsten Nematandani, President of the South African Football Association (SAFA). It reinforces global efforts to virtually eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015.

At the opening ceremony of the Women’s Championship on 31 October at Sinaba Stadium in Benoni, South Africa, the captains of the qualifying teams from Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa, publicly read the appeal:

“As captains and players of teams competing in the 2010 African Women’s Championship in South Africa, we appeal to football players and fans across Africa to celebrate life and help prevent mothers from dying and babies from becoming infected with HIV…together we must Give AIDS the Red Card to prevent mothers from dying and babies from becoming infected with HIV.”

Each year, an estimated 430 000 babies worldwide are born with HIV a large majority in Africa. In many parts of Africa, AIDS-related illness is the leading cause of death among infants and young children. HIV is also the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age worldwide.

Mr Nematandani explained why SAFA is supporting the campaign during this tournament. “Football represents one of the biggest voices in the world and SAFA, as the custodian of football in South Africa, has decided that it will join its voice to the many voices making a difference in the response to HIV around the world.” He concluded, “There is no better way to show this than to articulate it repeatedly during these important championship matches.”

The team captains also committed to read out the appeal at the start of each of the 14 matches that will play in  the championship which runs until 14 November 2010.   

Credit: UNAIDS

Sport has a special ability to unify and galvanize people all over the world and therefore is a powerful vehicle for advocacy at the global down to the community level. In light of the potential of sports for AIDS advocacy, UNAIDS organized a consultation with representatives of several sports organizations and other experts from 24-26 October in Geneva to examine current initiatives and ideas for future activities.

“Sport has tremendous worldwide influence and impact, from the highest level of world championship events to children in remote villages playing with a home-made football,” said UNAIDS Executive Director at the opening of the consultation. “Stronger cooperation with the world of sport can invigorate the global AIDS response in a unique way and help us achieve all the Millennium Development Goals,” he added.

The consultation identified new ways to leverage the convening power of sports to promote HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Participants also reviewed existing relationships and ways to build and strengthen partnerships between UNAIDS at the global, regional and country-levels, and the world of sports, the private sector, civil society and the media.

UNAIDS has established partnerships with sports personalities and organizations to raise awareness on AIDS issues and to help inform people on how to protect themselves against HIV infection. The 2010 FIFA World Cup initiative “Give AIDS the Red Card”, was backed by international football stars including UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassadors Michael Ballack of Germany and Emmanuel Adebayor of Togo. The campaign used the popularity and the outreach potential of football to unite the world around a common cause—preventing the transmission of HIV from mother-to-child.

This week’s consultation provided a forum to review progress around the “Give AIDS the Red Card” campaign and plan for the next phase. It also enabled discussions on future sports initiatives with UNAIDS’ partners including the International Olympic Committee and the International Cricket Council as well as identifying other cooperation opportunities with sports organizations and sports stars and stronger coordination with Cosponsors.

Participants agreed to explore innovative ways to convey HIV messaging through sports. Because the world of music and culture also has great popular appeal, the meeting also considered linkages with sport-related initiatives to amplify the range of the messages.

Other participants included Mr Adolf Ogi, former President of Switzerland and former Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace; Mr Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace; Mr Krisrten Nematandani, President, South African Football Association; Mr Lebohang Morake (Lebo M), UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador and producer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony; Ms Katia Mascagni, International Olympic Committee; Mr Chris Hurst, Corporate Communications Manager, International Cricket Council;  Mr Amadou Fall, Vice President for Development in Africa of the NBA; Mr Adonal Foyle, Retired NBA basketball player and founder of the Kerosene Lamp Foundation; and, Mr Driss Guerraoui, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Morocco and Convener of the Global Youth Forum.

The Youth Olympic Games provide an opportunity to highlight the role of young people in promoting HIV prevention. Credit: UNAIDS

AIDS-inspired dance workshops, sports games with an HIV awareness-raising twist and make-your-own plasticine prevention messages were highlight activities coordinated by UNAIDS at the first-ever Youth Olympic Games, as part of the culture and education programme designed to encourage young Olympic athletes to learn more about issues of well-being, healthy lifestyle and social responsibility.

Throughout the proceedings of the Youth Games, held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August, a UNAIDS booth and a series of workshops addressed sexuality and HIV transmission, including myths and misconceptions, through interactive games, peer-to-peer discussion and innovative dance and drama methods.

Hosted in the Olympic village, the activities were accessible to the 3600 participating young athletes aged 14-18 and 1400 team officials. Every day, hundreds of young athletes visited the UNAIDS booth and workshops, with all activities coordinated and delivered by volunteers from UNAIDS event partners Y-PEER from the Philippines, Singapore-based organization BEADS as well as Youth Olympic Games volunteers.

“Despite language barriers, we were able to unite and channel energies of athletes coming from different cultures and backgrounds to talk about HIV and reiterate the need for protection and awareness,” said Y-PEER volunteer Mario Balibago.

While visiting the UNAIDS booth, athletes were encouraged to post updates to the UNAIDS Facebook page. “HIV is a good thing to talk about with the youth and to share… all over the world. Protect yourself and show love for people with HIV,” posted Kernesha Spann, a young 400m runner from Trinidad and Tobago.

The UNAIDS booth also received a number of high-profile visitors including Mr Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, and Mr Wilfried Lemke, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Sport and Development, who both commended the use of innovative formats to reach young people with HIV messages through sport.

The partnership with the Youth Olympic Games is geared towards emphasizing UNAIDS’ priority area of empowering young people to protect themselves against HIV and as part of activities in support of the International Year of Youth, which commenced on 12 August. Following the successful interventions in Singapore, UNAIDS will continue to work with the International Olympic Committee to strengthen the partnership, including exploring the development of a cadre of Youth Athlete Champions for HIV.

“Sport is an incredible channel for getting HIV messages out to young people. As well as the athletes, the volunteers working with us at the booth also became hugely sensitized on HIV issues and wanted to spread the word further,” said Dawn Foderingham, Partnerships Advisor at the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific who coordinated UNAIDS’ participation in the Youth Games. “Young people are champions both on and off the field and their leadership on HIV can have critical impact,” she added.

Asia-Pacific Year of Youth launch roundtable panel. Credit: UNAIDS

HIV and sexual and reproductive health has been identified as a central theme for discussion as part of the International Year of Youth, a United Nations (UN)-led initiative launched this month by the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Under the overarching theme of “dialogue and mutual understanding,” the Year of Youth aims to promote peace, respect for human rights and solidarity across generations through activities that highlight issues of increasing importance for youth—including HIV, the environment, hunger and employment. Young people are encouraged to participate in local and global efforts to achieve internationally-agreed targets, such as the Millennium Development Goals.

With young people aged 15-24 accounting for 40% of all new HIV infections, increased youth engagement in the AIDS response is critical. Empowering young people to protect themselves from HIV is one of ten UNAIDS priority areas, with the overall goal of a 30% reduction in new HIV infections by 2015. UNAIDS has committed to achieving three ‘bold results’ in at least nine of the 17 high-burden countries. These include:

• ensuring at least 80% of young people in and out of school have comprehensive knowledge of HIV;
• doubling young people’s use of condoms;
• doubling young people’s use of HIV testing and counselling services.

Youth in Asia-Pacific call for open dialogue on HIV

UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador for China, CCTV presenter and moderator of the Asia-Pacific Year of Youth launch James Chau listens to interventions from young people. Credit: UNAIDS

At the Asia-Pacific launch of the Year of Youth in Bangkok, Thailand, young people from across the region underlined limited access to sex education and HIV-related information as key areas of concern. During the launch event—a roundtable dialogue between youth representatives, heads of UN agencies and government officials, moderated by UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for China and television presenter James Chau—young participants highlighted the need for parents and others to “get outside their comfort zones” in order to better reach youth with information on sex and HIV.

“My parents have talked to me openly about sex and HIV for as long as I can remember,” said Benya, a 14-year-old high school student from Bangkok. “I think this helps me make good choices in my life.”

Young participants emphasized that greater access to evidence-based information on HIV and sexual and reproductive health, through both traditional and new media channels, was critical for youth empowerment on HIV-related issues.

Steve Kraus, Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific, underscored that evidence shows that when young people are given accurate information about sex and HIV, they choose to have sex later, with fewer partners and increased use of condoms.

Steve Kraus, Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team, underlines that young people are “leading the prevention revolution.” Credit: UNAIDS

“Young people are leading the prevention revolution. Recent data show that HIV prevalence has dropped by 25% among youth in 15 of the highest-burden countries. We have to continue this momentum,” said Mr Kraus. “The International Year of Youth provides a key opportunity for us to massively increase our emphasis on bringing young people to the table and ensuring their voices are heard in the important debates on HIV.”

For the Asia-Pacific region—and across the world—the Year of Youth launches will be followed by a series of targeted activities to showcase youth contributions to development, encourage dialogue and highlight the benefits and significance of youth participation in all aspects of society.

Opening ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games, Singapore, 14 August 2010. Credit: SPH-SYOGOC/Alphonsus Chern

During the next two weeks, Singapore is making Olympic history by being the host of the first-ever Youth Olympic Games, opening on 14 August 2010.

The Youth Olympic Games, to be held every two years (alternating Summer and Winter), is an international high-level sporting event for young people, which offers a balance of sport, culture and education. The Games were created to educate, engage, and influence young athletes, inspiring them to play an active role in their communities.

Around 370,000 spectators will gather to watch young athletes, aged 14 to 18 from around the world, participate in Singapore 2010. The inaugural games include high-level competition in 26 sports categories and a Cultural and Education Programme focused on a variety of themes including the Olympic values. It will also consist of skills-building sessions for participants, including on HIV.

As young people account for 40% of all new HIV infections globally, placing young people in the driving seat to halt and to begin to reverse the HIV epidemic is crucial.

“Young athletes are role models in their communities. We need to call on these young people to lead the prevention revolution if we are to reach UNAIDS vision of Zero new infections,” said Mr Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, “Sports can be a powerful vehicle to come about change in societies around the world.”

UNAIDS has partnered with the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) in the context of its overall partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in order to provide HIV prevention information and raise awareness about HIV among young people during the two weeks of the Games.

Credit: IOC

“HIV awareness and prevention campaigns are most effective when addressed to the youth” said Mr Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee. He added: “Sport is a powerful tool for reaching out to today’s youth on all continents and for educating them early on about healthy and responsible behaviours.”

UNAIDS, together with civil society organizations, will conduct a series of workshops focusing on adolescent sexual and reproductive health as well as stigma surrounding HIV under the educational theme “Well-Being and Healthy Lifestyle.” Workshops will be open to the estimated 3,600 young, athletes and 1,400 officials in the Olympic Village.

The workshops will be run in collaboration with Y-PEER, a youth-to-youth initiative, and BEADS, a Singapore organization. The sessions will use dance and competitive games to address topic such as sexuality and HIV transmission, and addressing myths and misconceptions about HIV.

The content of these interactive sessions has been developed specifically for the Youth Olympic Games to engage athletes. In addition, condoms have been made available for free at the medical clinics.

Sport is recognized as a powerful communication tool and is unique in its ability to unify and galvanize people all over the world. In recognizing the importance of sports for development, the partnership with the Youth Olympic Games is geared towards one of UNAIDS’ ten priority areas namely to empower young people to protect themselves against HIV.