December 2008: World AIDS Day is commemorated around the globe on December 1st each year. Created in 1988 by the World Health Organization with the support of the United Nations General Assembly, World AIDS Day mobilizes global action to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. It celebrates progress made in the battle against the epidemic - and brings into focus remaining challenges.

This year, the celebration of the World AIDS Day in Sudan was marked by the active participation of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) under the theme: “We People Living With HIV/AIDS are committed.”

Some 25 persons living with AIDS took the lead in mobilizing communities against the threat of HIV/AIDS in Sudan and promoting prevention effortsamongvulnerablepopulations.They also organized awareness sessions in Khartoum, White Nile, Sinnar State and Port Sudan to share their own experiences living with the disease. In each of these sessions, they explained the importance of voluntary testing and the free treatment available to them.

The sessions proved to be a good platform for informing the public about important issues related to AIDS and creating discussion about effectivewaysofpreventingthepandemicand treating AIDS.

PLWHA also offeredanopportunitytopromoteandadvocatefor improved access to treatment, especially antiretroviral therapy and care and support for PLWHA.

The advocacy campaign was encouraged by a group of 11 associations that support PLWHA.

Since 2005, these associations have been helping PLWHA voice their concerns and fightagainststigmaanddiscriminationthrough education.

To help empower PLWHA, UNDP has made officesavailableto the 11 associations in Gadaref, Kassala, Elobied, Khartoum, Kosti, Nyala, Geniena, PortSudan, Sinnar, Damazine and Kadulgi. In addition to providing financialassistance,UNDPhas recently assigned each of the 11 associations with a social worker to ensure the participation of PLWHA in the planning, implementation and evaluation of states’ responses to HIV/AIDS.

According to the estimation of the 2008 UNAIDS report, Sudan has the highest HIV epidemic infection in the Middle East and North Africa, with up to 420 000 people living with HIV.

Over the past few years, the country’s response to HIV/AIDS has improved; but discussing AIDS and sexuality remain a social taboo in many parts of the country. Although the country’s religious leaders authorized the use of condoms, no national condom campaign has been conducted so far and sex education is still at its early stages.