About
A Day to Remember
World AIDS Day was established December 1st, 1988 as a means to increase awareness, fight prejudice, and improve education about HIV and AIDS. Honoring this day is an important way of reminding people that HIV is an ongoing issue that affects millions at home and around the world. Nashville’s 2nd Annual World AIDS Day International Film Series is a community event designed to get people talking and thinking creatively about issues related to HIV.
World AIDS Day 2009
UNAIDS announced "Universal Access and Human Rights" as the theme for World AIDS Day 2009.
Why universal access?
- 7,400 people become infected with HIV every day.
- Nearly 4 million people are currently receiving treatment, while 9.7 people are still in need.
- For every 2 people put on treatment, 5 more become infected.
- With universal access, approximately 6.7 million people would receive life-saving antiretroviral treatment, 2.6 million new infections could be averted and 1.3 million lives saved.
What is universal access?
Universal access is a global commitment to scale up access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support. The movement, enshrined in the 2006 UN Political Declaration, is led by countries worldwide with support from UNAIDS and other development partners including civil society.
The movement is guided by ambitious national targets set against key outcome areas – such as ART coverage, prevention of mother to child transmission, coverage of prevention programs for most at-risk groups and testing coverage.
Achieving universal access is a critical mid-way point to reaching the Millennium Development Goal to ‘halt and reverse the AIDS epidemic’.
Previous World AIDS Day Nashville Celebrations
In 2007, over a dozen local organizations and agencies came together to create a new community event for World AIDS Day. We wanted to bring Nashville together to establish a meaningful dialog about HIV. This was an opportunity for us to step outside of our own lives, and to look at the pandemic through the eyes of others. The event was designed as a means of both remembering the day and those whose lives have been affected by the disease, and to highlight the need for continued commitment to the fight against HIV.
The theme for World AIDS Day 2007 was Leadership, and we wanted to see how HIV is represented in film in other countries, and what we could learn about how their societies and leaders have approached it.
Last year, the World AIDS Day International Film Series presented a fresh lineup of thought-provoking media including film, First Person Theater, posters and music. Each evening, a different country was spotlighted and an expert on HIV in that country moderated a discussion around the theme of Leadership and the portrayal of HIV and AIDS in the film. The event highlighted experiences in Kenya, Japan, Latin America, The Netherlands and the U.S.A.
