World AIDS Day is commemorated each year on the 1st of December and is an opportunity for every community to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with HIV and remember those who have passed away.

SANAC has developed a World AIDS Day (WAD) 2017 toolkit with the aim of creating one unified look and feel for WAD 2017 in South Africa. World AIDS Day 2017 brand is freely available for use by all South Africans. Users of the brand may add their logo next to the three existing stakeholder logos. Your cooperation in using and adhering to the WAD 2017 toolkit will ensure maximum visual impact and contribute to building one unified message that makes a difference.

This toolkit contains the following:

• Concept Note
• Key Messages
• Logo
• Stakeholder logos
• Fonts
• Activity Guide
• CI Guide
  • Clothing Elements
  • Printed Elements
  • Digital Elements

Global Theme for World AIDS Day 2017

The global theme of this year’s World AIDS Day will be “The Right to Health”. The universal and inalienable right to health provides everyone with the right to realize the highest attainable standard of health without discrimination or stigma. Only by placing human rights at the centre of global health can we ensure that health care is accessible, acceptable, available and of good quality for everyone, leaving no one behind. The AIDS epidemic brought the power of the right to health to the world’s attention. The AIDS response is built upon the fundamental right to health and well-being and provides the best example of the global expansion of health services. The AIDS response leveraged rights, expanded access to life-saving medicines, expanded health systems and increased access to acceptable and quality health and social protection services, without discrimination or coercion. The rights-based approach has also benefited the wider health movement, including improving services for tuberculosis, hepatitis C, sexual and reproductive health and non-communicable diseases.

South Africa’s Theme for World AIDS Day Commemorations: past and present

In 2011, the focus was on universal access to treatment – ‘zero AIDS-related deaths’. In 2012, the attention shifted to HIV prevention and ‘zero new infections’, while World AIDS Day 2014 emphasised the role of stigma and discrimination with ‘zero discrimination’ as the theme. In 2015, World AIDS Day celebrated the role of communities in the response to HIV with the theme ‘Rise. Act. Protect’; while last year’s theme was “It is in our hands to end HIV and TB”.

Theme: ‘I have the right to know, Prevention is my responsibility’.
Slogan: ‘Let Our Actions Count’.
Hash tag: #WAD2017
 
Rationale

On 31 March 2017, SANAC Chairperson Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa launched South Africa’s National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs 2017 – 2022 (NSP), which serves as a roadmap for the next stage of the country’s journey towards a future where these three diseases are no longer public health challenges. This plan sets out the destinations – or goals – of our shared journey and establishes landmarks in the form of specific measurable objectives. The NSP is a key pillar in the country’s progress towards achieving universal health care, as it is driven by South Africa’s long term vision reflected in the National Development Plan of a healthier, stronger and more equitable nation. The core concept for World AIDS Day 2017 is to focus on Goal 1 “Accelerate prevention to reduce new HIV and TB infections and STIS” and Goal 6 “Promote leadership and shared accountability for a sustainable response to HIV, TB and STIs” of the NSP, while acknowledging the right to health, in line with the global theme.

For open files of the toolkit, please contact Nelson Dlamini: 012 748 1016 / nelson@sanac.org.za  / 078 731 0313
 
Red Ribbon Friday

SANAC calls on South Africans to join the prevention revolution on red ribbon Fridays

As South Africa and the world begin the countdown to World AIDS Day on 1 December 2017, the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) urges South Africans to mark each Friday from 10 November to 1 December by participating in Red Ribbon Fridays as a build up to World AIDS Day. This year’s World AIDS Day theme encourages us to make our actions count and take personal and collective responsibility to prevent new HIV infections. We have made significant progress in our efforts to respond to HIV, TB and STIs, but we have not done so well in protecting people from HIV infection – about 270 000 people became newly infected with HIV in 2016 alone.

What Is Red Ribbon Friday?

It is a call to all South Africans to get behind World AIDS Day 2017 and to put the prevention of HIV and TB back on the agenda. Every Friday, we want to encourage conversations among South Africans to respond to critical questions such as: What is your Responsibility? What can you do to prevent the spread of HIV and TB infections? Every Friday, all South Africans are encouraged to wear a red ribbon, take a picture and share it on social media using the hashtag #RedRibbonFriday.
 
What Should I Do for Red Ribbon Friday?

• Wear a red ribbon to work, school or even at home every Friday. Take a picture, share it on your social platforms and say what you are doing to prevent HIV and TB.
• Challenge family, friends and colleagues to join the #RedRibbonFriday by wearing a red ribbon on Fridays.
• Use Fridays to organize HIV testing services at your workplace and in your community.
• Use the Fridays to host an HIV/TB awareness event or talk at your workplace, school and in your community.
• Always use the hash tags #RedRibbonFriday, #WAD2017 and #PreventionRevolution to make it trend.
• So, wear a red ribbon, tell your friends to wear one, tell your work colleagues to wear one, tell your children to wear one.
• Get interested. Get excited. Get talking about the Prevention Revolution!

This release was first published in the SANAC website
 
Photo Courtesy: Dekh News