OFID observes World AIDS Day

December 1 marks World AIDS Day, which has taken place very year since 1988.

World AIDS Day provides an opportunity to draw attention to the HIV epidemic around the world. Many people choose to organise an event on or around December 1st, to raise awareness of HIV, to remember loved ones who have died, to show solidarity with people living with HIV, to celebrate survival and health, and to raise money for HIV and related causes.

Since 2002, OFID has been an active partner in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, and is also directed its focus to incorporate other preventable diseases, including TB, malaria and waterborne illnesses. Also targeted are non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, which are more prevalent in poor developing countries. A legacy of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic, NCDs prey on people weakened by that disease and reportedly claim the lives of more than 36 million people every year in the developing world. Read more about OFID's Special Health Program.

OFID's partners include the ILO, the IFRC, UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC and WHO, among others. Joint initiatives have been carried out across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Arab World.

The biennial international AIDS conferences are organized by the International AIDS Society (IAS), which OFID has supported since 2004. OFID has also extended grants totaling nearly US$3m to enable participants from developing countries to attend the conferences.

Prior to the 21st International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016), a joint OFID/IAS workshop was held in Turkey which gathered experts from OFID Member Countries and others to discuss "HIV in Conservative Social Settings". The conclusions of this workshop was presented during a special OFID session at AIDS 2016 held July 17-22, 2016, in Durban, South Africa.