The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) from 2005 to 2010 is calling on individuals and groups to support the theme “Stop AIDS. Keep the promise” aimed at governments and policy makers. The intention is to establish an international campaign to hold our leaders accountable for their promises and commitments and take the action necessary to deliver on them.
Achieving this ambition requires more support and action than people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS are able to generate on their own. What is needed is the involvement of more people from many different walks of life whether they are individuals or groups whether they are part of a trade union or a faith group or part of the women's movement or a young person wanting a better world in the future.
“Stop AIDS. Make the promise” has been developed by the WAC to provide that opportunity for people to get involved and make their voices heard and become part of a new global movement that will not accept that we are doing enough for the- 40 million people and counting, who need us all to get involved in this campaign.
Everyone can contribute whether that is by making your promise to support the campaign and its work or by actively promoting the campaign with friends and colleagues.
The choice of ‘Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise’ arose from campaign consultations undertaken in 2003.
At that time, when Women and AIDS was chosen as the campaign theme, two other themes emerged: taking personal responsibility in the fight against AIDS, and accountability. Given the shift of the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) to advocate for the fulfilment of the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and subsequent policy commitments on AIDS, the newly-established Global Steering Committee of the Campaign recommended ‘Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise’ as the tag line of the World AIDS Campaign from 2005 onwards.
The agreement by Heads of State and Representatives of Government to support the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS marked a milestone in the history of the HIV pandemic. It sent a signal from governments that urgency would be needed to address the devastation of the HIV pandemic with leadership, honesty and action. While many countries have made their own commitments to fight HIV and AIDS, this was the first time they gathered to recognise AIDS was a global crisis requiring global action.
The Declaration set out specific commitments leaders would work to fulfill upon their return home – including prevention campaigns, reducing stigma, building health infrastructures, providing necessary resources, and ensuring treatment, care and respect for people living with HIV and AIDS. In many cases, these commitments included specific deadlines, making the Declaration a powerful tool to guide and secure action, support and resources for all those fighting the epidemic, both within and outside government.
To fight HIV and AIDS, the Declaration turns again and again to the theme of partnership among all sectors of society – from governments and the United Nations system to business, labour, faith-based organizations, the media, and, importantly, people living with HIV and AIDS. The World AIDS Campaign focuses on that commitment to partnership and will call for the international community to be accountable to the promises they made within the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the subsequent ones they made to ensure the targets contained in the Declaration are fully met. These historic commitments to action in the fight against HIV and AIDS are not solely aimed at political leaders but at us all. Everyone has a role to play in fighting HIV and AIDS. We hope you will be inspired by these commitments and will support the WAC to ensure that everyone ‘Keeps the Promise’.
