Representatives of 25 Red Ribbon Award 2008 winning communities were guests of honour at a formal Award Ceremony and Dinner, held last night in Mexico City and attended by government officials and global AIDS leaders. UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot addressed the Awards Ceremony at which five organizations were selected by a jury for special recognition in the following categories:

1. Providing access to treatment, support and care
2. Supporting children orphaned by AIDS
3. Promoting human rights
4. Empowering women and girls
5. Providing HIV prevention programs and services

The communities singled out for special recognition are:

1. Centre for Popular Education and Human Rights, Ghana
2. Sanghamitra, A Women’s Collective, India
3. Hamyaran Mosbat – The Mashhad Positive Club, Iran 
4. Consol Homes, Malawi
5. Fortalecidendo la Diversidad, Mexico

Each of the 25 winning organizations received USD 5,000 and the five communities receiving special recognition an additional USD 15,000.

“These are extraordinary organizations helping to meet the needs of their own communities in often very difficult circumstances,” said Rebecca Grynspan, Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), during the awards ceremony.

“In doing so they have shown extraordinary creativity, courage and leadership in responding to the epidemic and achieving tangible results with limited resources.”

“All the Red Ribbon participants at this conference are winners,” said As Sy, Director of Partnerships and External Relations, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

“We hope that the knowledge and resources gained from AIDS 2008 will help inspire you in your own communities in taking your work to the next level. I know all of us have learned from you and your experiences. This knowledge is truly what the Red Ribbon Awards are about.”

AIDS 2008: Community Dialogue Space

The 25 Red Ribbon Award 2008 winning organizations are also participating in the XVII International AIDS Conference, in Mexico City 3-8 August 2008 where they are hosting the Community Tequio in the heart of the Global village. “Tequio” is an Aztec word conveying a collective work that benefi¬ts the community and the goal is developing an enabling environment for community participation in the AIDS response.

The Community Tequio is a space for conference participants from around the world to interact and share their experiences to strengthen an international network of community best practices on HIV. Open and active discussions are taking place highlighting stories of grassroots victories, challenges communities face and opportunities to improve their response to the epidemic.

Red Ribbon Award

The Red Ribbon Award is presented every two years at the International AIDS Conference to recognize and celebrate outstanding community leadership and action that is helping to stop the spread of HIV and mitigate the impact of AIDS. This year, more 550 nominations were received for the award from 140 countries around the world.

The Red Ribbon Award Secretariat is hosted and by UNDP and supported by the XVII International AIDS Conference, the Canadian International Development Agency, Irish Aid and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is a UNAIDS family initiative.