Global Celebrities To World Leaders:Take The Rights Path To End AIDS
By BUKAR BOLORI
Sixteen global celebrities including Hollywood film star Luke Evans and singer-songwriter Sia of the Unstoppable hit song, are uniting behind UNAIDS’ call for world leaders to protect human rights, which they say is vital to ensuring the success of efforts to end AIDS.
The celebrities, including actress and comedian Margaret Cho; comedian and poet Alok Vaid-Menon; fashion designer and television personality Tan France; actor Alan Cumming; actor, broadcaster and comedian Stephen Fry; actress Uzo Aduba; Moroccan artist OUM; South African actress Thuso Mbedu; Chinese actor and singer Huang Xiaoming; professional football player Racheal Kundananji; Pakistani-British actor and comedian Mawaan Rizwan; Filipino model and actress Pia Wurtzbach; Ukrainian singer and TV show host Vera Brezhneva; and popular television presenter Erkin Ryzkullbekov have come together in support of UNAIDS call to “Take the rights path to end AIDS.”
“The choice is clear if we want to end AIDS as a public health threat. World leaders must take the rights path to protect people’s right to health and life. When human rights are respected and guaranteed, their lives are greatly improved because they can freely seek healthcare, including HIV prevention and treatment.” said Stephen Fry, broadcaster and comedian.
“In far too many countries, people are still criminalized for being who they are or for who they love. When LGBTQ+ people are criminalized, they are driven underground and out of reach of health services, including services to prevent and treat HIV.” said Alok Vaid-Menon, American comedian and poet.
The report highlights gaps in the realization of human rights and shows how violations of human rights are obstructing the end of the AIDS pandemic, noting that 63 countries still criminalize LGBTQ+ people.
Discrimination against girls and women, from denial of education to denial of protection from gender-based violence, is also undermining progress in the global HIV response.
In 2023, women and girls accounted for 62% of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa.
“We all win the fight against AIDS when human rights and the right to health are secured for everyone everywhere. We can end AIDS as a public health threat by promoting rights, respect and dignity for all.” said, Margaret Cho, actress and comedian.
“When girls cannot get access to education and information, when young women cannot access HIV prevention and testing, they are put at much greater risk of acquiring HIV,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
In 2023 alone, 1.3 million people around the world were newly infected with HIV—three times higher than the global target set for 2025 of no more than 370 000 new infections.
“To protect everyone’s health, we need to protect everyone’s rights,”UNAIDS World AIDS Day report.
“Take the rights path to end AIDS,” shows that the world can end AIDS—if the human rights of people living with or affected by HIV are respected, protected and fulfilled, to ensure equitable, accessible and high-quality HIV services.
