World AIDS Day 2009: Universal Access and Human Rights

World AIDS Day has been observed annually on December 1st since 1988 and has served to increase international awareness in the campaign against HIV and AIDS. More than 25 million people are estimated to have died from AIDS from 1981 to 2007, with over 30 million currently infected with HIV.

In his World AIDS Day message, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé stated:

“The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is Universal Access and Human Rights. For me, that means doing everything we can to support countries to reach their universal access goals for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support--all the while protecting and promoting human rights.”

Further information on UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is available on its web site, including its most recent biannual report (2008) on the global AIDS epidemic.

At the University of North Carolina, a number of events are being held from November 30 to December 5 in recognition of World AIDS Day; for details, see the schedule online.