[Viva] Fwd: NEWS RELEASE: Thousands of people around the world to come together to keep the light on HIV on Sunday 18 May

[Margarite Sanchez]

Sending love and light.
Thank you for being part of my community ...
hugs,
Margarite

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: GNP+ Communications <newsletter at gnpplus.net>
Date: Fri, May 16, 2014 at 2:45 AM
Subject: NEWS RELEASE: Thousands of people around the world to come
together to keep the light on HIV on Sunday 18 May
To: "margaritesanchez at gmail.com" <margaritesanchez at gmail.com>


 This Sunday 18 May 2014, people around the world will host local community
events to mark the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial. This annual
mobilization campaign has been taking place every year since 1983, led by
coalition of community organisations globally, and coordinated by the
Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+). The theme of this year’s
event will be ‘Let’s keep the light on HIV’.

With the Candlelight Memorial falling just two months before the 2014
International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, the theme echoes the
AIDS 2014 tagline, Stepping up the Pace, which reflects that the response
has already been effective, but that it will only continue to be effective
if support continues and grows.

Suzette Moses-Burton, Executive Director of GNP+, says, “Sunday 18th May
will be the thirty first year of the Candlelight Memorial, a leading
example of global community-led activism around the issue of HIV and AIDS.
During that time, we have seen extraordinary advances in how this disease
is recognized and treated. This change has only been able to come about
through the incredible activism lead by the movement of people living with
HIV. The Candlelight Memorial is about recognizing those who have
campaigned for the rights of people living with HIV, as well as remembering
those who have fallen along the way.”

Whilst enormous gains have been made in improving the lives of people
living with HIV, there are still many barriers to be overcome, even in the
richest countries. Ms. Moses-Burton says, “For many, access to treatment,
care and support is challenging at best, and in some cases, it is
impossible for people to access these services. This is exacerbated by
stigma, particularly for key populations living with HIV, who may also be
criminalized. Whilst we have come a long way, there is still a lot more
work to do.”

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is dependent on the support and
enthusiasm of community mobilisers large and small around the world.
Coordinating organisations are diverse, and include networks of people
living with HIV and other key populations, affected families and
communities, as well as women’s organisations, service organisations,
academic institutions, healthcare facilities, faith-based groups,
businesses, media and more. The type of events held may vary enormously,
from small community vigils to multi-day national commemorations, and many
use the opportunity to promote local HIV services, encourage education and
community dialogue, and advocate for the advancement of public policy.

The theme reflects the urgent need to ensure that HIV and AIDS don’t drop
off the agenda for international policy makers. Ms. Moses-Burton says: “The
post-2015 agenda is looming, and we face a future where funding for these
issues will be sharply cut, just at a time when we have a much better idea
of what approaches are effective. With 33 million people living with HIV
today, this is an issue that can’t just fade away – we need to keep the
light on HIV.”

*-ENDS-*

For more information about the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial,
please visit http://www.candlelightmemorial.org/<http://newsletter.gnpplus.net//l/spSf2l48Wz9lwUjkOpG9yA/JxHnQJTHz7pi5chXm8VtLg/QUp4Ik6892VOXW5ej6PnSkWQ>.


For more information about this release, please contact GNP+: Victoria
Clarke, External Relations & Communications Officer:  email:
vclarke at gnpplus.net; phone: +27 (0)21 424 1478

*About the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+):*

www.gnpplus.net<http://newsletter.gnpplus.net//l/spSf2l48Wz9lwUjkOpG9yA/qY0RU9UGOlfV25763yD763VAwg/QUp4Ik6892VOXW5ej6PnSkWQ>

GNP+ is the Global Network for and by People Living with HIV. As the only
global network working with all PLHIV regardless of how they choose to
network, GNP+ works with independent and autonomous regional and national
networks of PLHIV in all regions as well as networks that include PLHIV,
including key population and treatment access networks.

GNP+’s *mission *is to improve the quality of life of people living with
HIV. The network’s *vision *is a powerful and united worldwide social
movement of people living with HIV, with their leadership and voices at the
centre of the HIV response. GNP+’s core activities fall under three
pillars: advocacy (including activism, campaigns and policy dialogue),
information and knowledge management, and network and community
strengthening.
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