1 December 2011 - To commemorate World AIDS Day, the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) organized today events including drama, poetry, Rwandese and Indonesian traditional dances aimed at raising awareness among its peacekeepers. This year’s theme is “Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV Infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths.”

UNAMID, in collaboration with the Sudan National AIDS Program (SNAP), has planned an awareness and testing campaign in North Darfur targeting residents in Abu Shouk and Al Salaam internally displaced persons camps. The campaign that will take place in the coming days will involve awareness raising activities, Voluntary Confidential Counseling and Testing (VCCT), and training sessions for women and youth.  

UNAMID’s HIV section is part of the State’s technical HIV and AIDS working group providing technical assistance and offering capacity building to SNAP personnel. The Mission is also providing logistical support to SNAP and the State Ministry of Health.  

The World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year to honor the victims of the AIDS pandemic, focus attention on the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS-related conditions and increase awareness of these conditions.

Communication and Public Information Division Media Contacts
Kemal Saïki, Director; saiki@un.org; tel.: +249 (0) 92 244 3529; mobile: +249 (0) 92 241 0020

Guiomar Pau Sole, Media Relations, paug@un.org, mobile: +249 (0)90 090 5097