World AIDS Day

History

World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1987 by James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, two public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Bunn and Netter took their idea to Dr. Jonathan Mann, Director of the Global Programme on AIDS (now known as UNAIDS). Mann liked the concept, approved it, and agreed with the recommendation that the first observance of World AIDS Day should be on 1 December 1988. Bunn, a former television broadcast journalist from San Francisco, had recommended the date of 1 December that believing it would maximize coverage of World AIDS Day by western news media, sufficiently long following the US elections but before the Christmas holidays.

In its first two years, the theme of World AIDS Day focused on children and young people. While the choice of this theme was criticized at the time by some for ignoring the fact that people of all ages may become infected with HIV, the theme helped alleviate some of the stigma surrounding the disease and boost recognition of the problem as a family disease.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) became operational in 1996, and it took over the planning and promotion of World AIDS Day. Rather than focus on a single day, UNAIDS created the World AIDS Campaign in 1997 to focus on year-round communications, prevention and education. In 2004, the World AIDS Campaign became an independent organization.

Each year since 1988, Popes have released a greeting message for patients and doctors on World AIDS Day. In 2016, a collection of HIV, rabies, COVID and other respiratory virus NGOs (including Panagea Global AIDS and the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa) started a campaign to rename World AIDS Day to World HIV Day. They claim the change will emphasize social justice issues, and the advancement of treatments like pre-exposure prophylaxis.

In the US, the White House began marking World AIDS Day with the iconic display of a 28 foot AIDS Ribbon on the building's North Portico in 2007. White House aide Steven M. Levine, then serving in President George W. Bush's administration, proposed the display to symbolize the United States' commitment to combat the world AIDS epidemic through its landmark PEPFAR program. The White House display, now an annual tradition across four presidential administrations, quickly garnered attention, as it was the first banner, sign or symbol to prominently hang from the White House since the Abraham Lincoln administration.

Since 1993, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation for World AIDS Day (see section #US Presidential Proclamations for World AIDS Day for copies of those proclamations). On 30 November 2017, President Donald Trump along with local community college students proclaimed World AIDS Day for 1 December. In 2025, however, the Trump administration instructed American officials to not commemorate it, following cuts to HIV prevention.

Themes

All the World AIDS Day campaigns focus on a specific theme, chosen following consultations with UNAIDS, WHO, and a large number of grassroots, national and international agencies involved in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. each year's theme is chosen by the Global Steering Committee of the World AIDS Campaign (WAC).

For each World AIDS Day from 2005 through 2010, the theme was "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise", designed to encourage political leaders to keep their commitment to achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support by the year 2010.

the multi-year theme for World AIDS Day is "Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero deaths from AIDS-related illness. Zero discrimination." The US Federal theme for the year 2014 was "Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-Free Generation".

The themes are not limited to a single day but are used year-round in international efforts to highlight HIV/AIDS awareness within the context of other major global events including the G8 Summit, as well as local campaigns like the Student Stop AIDS Campaign in the UK.

World AIDS Day Themes

References

References

1. "About World Aids Day". National Aids Trust.
2. "World AIDS Day 2020: Date, History, Current Theme, Importance, Significance".
3. World Health Organization, [https://www.who.int/campaigns WHO campaigns.] {{Webarchive. link. (31 December 2012)
4. [https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet Global HIV & AIDS statistics — Fact sheet] UNAIDS. Accessed 4 December 2021.
5. Block, Melissa. (1 December 2011). "How World AIDS Day Began". [[NPR]].
6. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, International News, "World AIDS Day Co-Founder Looks Back 20 Years Later", CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update, 12 December 2007
7. Walter, Eric. (30 November 2011). "Inventors of World AIDS Day: James Bunn and Thomas Netter". [[WHYY-FM]].
8. Speicher, Sara. (19 November 2008). "World AIDS Day Marks 20th Anniversary Of Solidarity.". Medicalnewstoday.com.
9. (20 October 2006). "van Soest, Marcel. "Accountability: Main Message on World AIDS Day." Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. 20 Oct 2006". Unaids.org.
10. (2007). "Yearbook of the United Nations, 2005". United Nations Publications.
11. "First World AIDS Day in 1988". Vatican.va.
12. link. (4 March 2016)
13. Gheddo, Piero. "Pope: "I feel near to people with AIDS and their families"". Asianews.it.
14. (November 2021)
15. Pullella, Philip. "Pope skirts condoms issue in World AIDS Day statement". Faithworld.
16. (30 November 2016). "The World Has Changed: The HIV Response Must Change Too On World HIV Day". World HIV Day.
17. Parker, Jennifer. (30 November 2007). "Two-Story AIDS Ribbon at White House". [[ABC News (United States).
18. (29 November 2007). "Proclamation 8207: World AIDS Day, 2007".
19. Burger, Timothy J.. (July–August 2014). "Inside George W. Bush's Closet".
20. (1 December 2017). "White House hangs red ribbon for World AIDS Day". [[CBS News]].
21. (1 December 2012). "The White House Honors World AIDS Day 2012". [[whitehouse.gov]].
22. "A red ribbon adorns the North Portico of the White House Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, in recognition of World AIDS Day and the commitment by President George W. Bush and his administration to fighting and preventing HIV/AIDS in America and the world. White House photo by Eric Draper". [[whitehouse.gov]].
23. (30 November 2017). "President Donald J. Trump Proclaims December 1, 2017, as World AIDS Day". [[White House]].
24. Wong, Curtis M.. (30 November 2017). "Trump Excludes LGBTQ People From World AIDS Day Proclamation". [[Oath Inc.]].
25. Mandavilli, Apoorva. (November 26, 2025). "Trump Administration Will No Longer Commemorate World AIDS Day". The New York Times.
26. Ring, Trudy. (November 26, 2025). "Trump administration won't observe World AIDS Day". Advocate.
27. Le Poidevin, Olivia. (November 25, 2025). "Trump-era global funding cuts devastate HIV prevention programmes, UNAIDS says". [[Reuters]].
28. Hoover, Wiralspace. (November 25, 2021). "World Aids Day 2021".
29. World Health Organization, [https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2012/aids_20121129/en/ World Aids Day 2012: Closing in on global HIV targets.] {{Webarchive. link. (15 July 2020 Accessed 8 April 2014)
30. (December 2014). "Aids Day 2014". ibtimes.
31. (2021-12-01). "World AIDS Day: HIV / AIDS Can Be Cured by Practicing Sat-Bhakti".
32. "World AIDS Day".
33. "World AIDS Day – December 1, 1998".
34. "World AIDS Day".
35. (30 November 2008). "Dr. Peter Piot, "2008 World AIDS Day statements", Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), 30 November 2008". UNAIDS.
36. [http://www.avert.org/world-aids-day.htm World AIDS Day] {{Webarchive. link. (16 October 2015 avert.org)
37. {{usurped. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150701093011/http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/world-aids-day/world-aids-day-2011/ World AIDS Day 2011] [[World_AIDS_Campaign]]
38. [http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/unaidsaids2012 World AIDS Day 2012] [[UNAids]]
39. [http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/worldaidsday2013 World AIDS Day 2013] [[UNAids]]
40. "Gender, equity and human rights". [[World Health Organization]] (WHO).
41. [http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/WAD2014 World AIDS Day 2014] {{Webarchive. link. (30 November 2021 [[UNAids]])
42. [http://www.unaids.org/wad2015/ World AIDS Day 2015] {{Webarchive. link. (30 November 2021 [[UNAids]])
43. [http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/WAD2016 World AIDS Day 2016] {{Webarchive. link. (30 November 2021 [[UNAids]])
44. [http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2017/november/20171106_myhealth-myright UNAIDS launches 2017 World AIDS Day campaign-right to health] {{Webarchive. link. (30 November 2021 [[UNAids]])
45. [https://knowyourstatus.unaids.org/ Know your HIV status] {{Webarchive. link. (30 November 2021 [[UNAids]])
46. [https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/WAD_2019 Communities make the difference] [[UNAids]]
47. Jessi Lewis. (1 December 2020). "World AIDS Day 2020". [[Sydney Star Observer]].
48. "Press Statement – World AIDS Day 2020 message from UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima". [[UNAIDS]].
49. (2020-12-01). "End inequalities. End AIDS. End pandemics.".
50. (2021-11-01). "World AIDS Day 2021: Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone's Voice".
51. (1 December 2022). "Equalize - World AIDS Day 2022". United Nations.
52. (1 December 2023). "Let Communities Lead - World AIDS Day 2023". United Nations.
53. (1 December 2024). "Take the Rights Path - World AIDS Day 2024". United Nations.
54. (1 December 2025). "World AIDS Day 2025 - Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response". United Nations.