Presidential Proclamation on World AIDS Day

After the jump, check out a proclamation signed by President Obama today regarding World AIDS Day.
 On this World AIDS Day, as we approach the thirtieth year
of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we reflect on the many Americans and
others around the globe lost to this devastating disease, and
pledge our support to the 33 million people worldwide who
live with HIV/AIDS. We also recommit to building on the great
strides made in fighting HIV, to preventing the spread of
the disease, to continuing our efforts to combat stigma and
discrimination, and to finding a cure.

Today, we are experiencing a domestic HIV epidemic that
demands our attention and leadership. My Administration
has invigorated our response to HIV by releasing the first
comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States.
Its vision is an America in which new HIV infections are
rare, and when they do occur, all persons -- regardless of age,
gender, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity,
or socio-economic circumstance -- will have unfettered access to
high-quality, life-extending care.

Signifying a renewed level of commitment and urgency, the
National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States focuses on
comprehensive, evidence-based approaches to preventing HIV in
high-risk communities. It strengthens efforts to link and
retain people living with HIV into care, and lays out new steps
to ensure that the United States has the workforce necessary to
serve Americans living with HIV. The Strategy also provides a
path for reducing HIV-related health disparities by adopting
community-level approaches to preventing and treating this
disease, including addressing HIV-related discrimination.

Along with this landmark Strategy, we have also made
significant progress with the health reform law I signed this
year, the Affordable Care Act. For far too long, Americans
living with HIV and AIDS have endured great difficulties in
obtaining adequate health insurance coverage and quality care.
The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from using
HIV status and other pre-existing conditions as a reason to deny
health care coverage to children as of this year, and to all
Americans beginning in 2014. To ensure that individuals living
with HIV/AIDS can access the care they need, the Affordable
Care Act ends lifetime limits and phases out annual limits on
coverage. Starting in 2014, it forbids insurance companies from

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charging higher premiums because of HIV status, and introduces
tax credits that will make coverage more affordable for all
Americans. This landmark law also provides access to insurance
coverage through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan for
the uninsured with chronic conditions.

Our Government has a role to play in reducing stigma,
which is why my Administration eliminated the entry ban that
previously barred individuals living with HIV/AIDS from entering
the United States. As a result, the 2012 International AIDS
Conference will be held in Washington, D.C., the first time
this important meeting will be hosted by the United States in
over two decades. For more information about our commitment
to fighting this epidemic and the stigma surrounding it,
I encourage all Americans to visit: www.AIDS.gov.

Tackling this disease requires a shared response that
builds on the successes achieved to date. Globally, tens
of millions of people have benefited from HIV prevention,
treatment, and care programs supported by the American people.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria support
anti-retroviral treatments for millions around the world.
My Administration has also made significant investments and
increases in our efforts to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS at
home and abroad by implementing a comprehensive package of
proven prevention programs and improving the health of those
in developing countries. Additionally, the Global Health
Initiative integrates treatment and care with other
interventions to provide a holistic approach to improving the
health of people living with HIV/AIDS. Along with our global
partners, we will continue to focus on saving lives through
effective prevention activities, as well as other smart
investments to maximize the impact of each dollar spent.

World AIDS Day serves as an important reminder that
HIV/AIDS has not gone away. More than one million Americans
currently live with HIV/AIDS in the United States, and more than
56,000 become infected each year. For too long, this epidemic
has loomed over our Nation and our world, taking a devastating
toll on some of the most vulnerable among us. On World AIDS
Day, we mourn those we have lost and look to the promise of a
brighter future and a world without HIV/AIDS.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States do
hereby proclaim December 1, 2010, as World AIDS Day. I urge the
Governors of the States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction
of the United States, and the American people to join in
appropriate activities to remember the men, women, and children
who have lost their lives to AIDS and to provide support and
comfort to those living with this disease.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

Obama Administration to Commemorate World AIDS Day

On Wednesday, December 1^st, Obama Administration officials and leaders in the AIDS community will speak at a World AIDS Day event at the White House to reflect on the lessons learned and the path forward in the fight against HIV and AIDS in the United States and around the world.  The White House World AIDS Day Event will include keynote remarks as well as a panel discussion with HIV/AIDS researchers and advocates.

Throughout his career in public service, President Obama has been committed to fighting HIV/AIDS here at home and around the world.  With the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as a foundation, the President put forward an ambitious $63 billion Global Health Initiative (GHI) to combat HIV/AIDS, address other health challenges and assist partner countries to strengthen their health systems and build capacity to provide services sustainably.  Through the GHI, the President’s aim is to ensure our programs have maximum impact, as this Administration’s focus is on outcomes, such as lives saved -- not simply dollars spent. Since taking office, the number of those on antiretroviral treatment has nearly doubled to 3.2 million – up from 1.7 million in 2008, and under the GHI, the U.S. continues to be the global leader in funding for HIV/AIDS.  The President proposed the largest request to date for PEPFAR for FY 2011.  Additionally, in October, the Administration announced an unprecedented multi-year pledge of $4 billion for 2011-2013 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.  This pledge represents a 38% increase in U.S. support for the Global Fund, and is in addition to more than $5.1 billion provided to the Fund to date.   

Domestically, the Office of National AIDS Policy released the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Federal Implementation Plan for the United States with three key goals: reducing the number of new infections; increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes for people living with HIV; and reducing HIV-related health disparities.

D.C. to host 2012 International AIDS Conference

Washington, D.C., will host the 19th International AIDS Conference in 2012. The announcement was made today to coincide with the observance of World AIDS Day. The scheduled Jan. 4 end of the U.S. ban on HIV-positive visitors cleared the way for the nation's capital to host the event, which is expected to be attended by about 30,000 researchers, scientists, policymakers, health care providers and advocates.

The White House yesterday announced plans to gear up for the event (video above).

World AIDS Day: Here to Inspire

The Advocate launches a new special section of Advocate.com today called Here to Inspire which is completely dedicated to World AIDS Day and AIDS/HIV awareness.

“Here to Inspire” presents an array of editorial content, including a World AIDS Day pictorial featuring some of the most poignant and powerful AIDS-related images ever recorded. Another section, “Twenty-Five at 25,” celebrates 25 men and women actively educating, inspiring, and working tirelessly on behalf HIV/AIDS awareness.

Additionally, Advocate.com interviews 26-year-old Devin Robinson, an activist who has performed his hit one-man confessional narrative “God Did Not Give Me HIV” across the United States. Advocate.com also explores the link between HIV and mental health, as well as the tests HIV-positive people should take in order to stay healthy from potentially fatal illnesses.

World AIDS Day: The Presidential Proclamation

The White House has issued the following proclamation signed by President Barack Obama regarding World AIDS Day:

Our Nation joins the world in celebrating the extraordinary advancements we have made in the battle against HIV and AIDS, and remembering those we have lost. Over the past three decades, brave men and women have fought devastating discrimination, stigma, doubt, and violence as they stood in the face of this deadly disease. Many of them would not be here today, but for the dedication of other persons living with HIV, their loved ones and families, community advocates, and members of the medical profession. On World AIDS Day, we rededicate ourselves to developing a national AIDS strategy that will establish the priorities necessary to combat this devastating epidemic at home, and to renewing our leadership role and commitments abroad.

Though we have been witness to incredible progress, our struggle against HIV/AIDS is far from over. With an infection occurring every nine-and-a-half minutes in America, there are more than one million individuals estimated to be living with the disease in our country. Of those currently infected, one in five does not know they have the condition, and the majority of new infections are spread by people who are unaware of their own status. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate as it infiltrates
neighborhoods and communities. Americans of any gender, age, ethnicity, income, or sexual orientation can and are contracting the disease.

Globally, there are over 33 million people living with HIV. While millions have died from this disease, the death rate is
slowly declining due, in part, to our Nation's global effort through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
program. However, HIV remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Women and children around the world are particularly
vulnerable due to gender inequalities, gaps in access to services, and increases in sexual violence. While the statistics are distressing, new medications and scientific advancements give us reason for hope.

Tackling this disease will take an aggressive, steadfast approach. My Administration is developing a national HIV/AIDS
strategy to bolster our response to the domestic epidemic, and a global health initiative that will build on PEPFAR's success. We will develop a strategy to reduce HIV incidence, improve access to care, and help eliminate HIV-related health disparities. We have already ensured that visitors to our shores living with HIV are not marginalized and discriminated against because of their HIV status. We have also secured the continuation of critical HIV/AIDS care and treatment services. Today, we recommit ourselves to building on the accomplishments of the past decades that have dramatically changed the domestic and global HIV/AIDS landscape.

Now, therefore, I, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 1, 2009, as World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and the territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and the American people to join in appropriate activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and to provide support and comfort to those living with this disease.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

- BARACK OBAMA

World AIDS Day: In The Life

Over twenty million people have died from AIDS since its cause, HIV, was discovered in 1981. Though leading scientists worldwide have dedicated their life's work to understanding the virus, its genetic complexity is unprecedented and a cure is still beyond reach. This month on 'In The Life', catch up with scientists working tirelessly for a cure, advocates speaking out about the stigma of HIV and AIDS, and look at the success of a cutting edge prevention effort to stop the spread of the disease.

The December episode of 'In The Life' is available to watch online on December 1 - World AIDS Day - at InTheLifeTV.org.

World AIDS Day: Denver Gay Men's Chorus

Check out an inspiring Worlds AIDS Day Concert with the Denver Gay Men's Chorus tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Boulder. Join AIDS groups around the world in remembering those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS and continue the work to end HIV/AIDS. Aside from this amazing concert, there will also be an AIDS memorial at Art and Soul and an all-day presence on the Pearl Street Mall in front of the Courthouse. Visit www.bcap.org for more information and get tix for the concert by clicking here.

World AIDS Day 2009: Help end mother-to-child transmission

World AIDS Day 2009 takes place on December 1, 2009.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown releases World AIDS Day message

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown pays tribute to "activists all over the world who have refused to give up in the face of HIV".

World AIDS Day is December 1, 2009.

World AIDS Day Concert with Denver Gay Men's Chorus

The Boulder County AIDS Project and the Denver Gay Men's Chorus will present a World AIDS Day Concert on December 1 at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Boulder.

The DGMC will join together in song with AIDS groups around the world in remembering those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS and creating a force to end HIV/AIDS.

The groups will also have an AIDS memorial at Art and Soul (between 16th and 17th on Pearl) and an all day presence on the Pearl Street Mall in front of the Courthouse. Visit www.bcap.org for more information.

Today is World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day - December 1, 2008

Today is World AIDS Day, and there are activities to mark the day going on all over Colorado. Here in Denver, there will be a rally at noon on the west steps of the Capitol building, sponsored by Colorado Organizations Responding to AIDS (CORA). For more World AIDS Day activities, check out the CORA Web site.

World AIDS Day in Denver with The Brothers Group

From Phil Wade:

Monday, December 1, is World AIDS Day and there are a number of events happening. Here's information about the two which I know about. Maybe we can share information about other events for that day.

There will be a gathering at the State Capitol from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. There will be speakers, and I assume, a ceremony of some kind to commemorate the lives lost to AIDS.

From 4:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m., there will be a "Prayer Concert" at MCC (Metropolitan Community Church of the Rockies). Over the course of the four hours, there will be a slide show about AIDS history, which will be repeated periodically, music, prayers, and remembrances.

People who attend generally drop by for whatever time they have available. It is a somber time to contemplate the people here, and in the world who we have lost to AIDS, as well as those who still struggle with HIV. Usually, there is some food available in Taylor Hall, which is the room next to the church. Everyone is welcome to be part of this commemoration. MCC is on the corner of Clarkson and E. 10th Ave.