World AIDS Day 2020: Who started AIDS Day? What is the significance of Red Ribbon?

World AIDS Day is celebrated every year on December 1 in a bid to spread awareness about the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. It is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and thus, World AIDS Day is celebrated to commemorate people who either lost their lives to the disease or are living with HIV. The day was founded back in 1988 and is observed in all member states of the United Nations (UN). Moreover, World AIDS Day was also the first-ever global health day. 

Who started World AIDS Day?

It was first celebrated in 1987 by James W Bunn and Thomas Netter who were the public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the UN health agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Eventually, both officers pitched their idea to the Director of the Global Programme on AIDS at the time, Dr Jonathan Mann who welcomed the idea and thus established December 1 as the World AIDS Day.

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What is the significance of ‘Red Ribbon’?

The ‘Red Ribbon’ is the universal symbol of awareness and support for the people across the globe living with HIV. the idea of associating World AIDS Day with the red-coloured ribbon came nearly a decade after the first World AIDS Day was celebrated. In 1991, at least 12 artists had gathered in a gallery in New York’s East Village for the discussion of a new project for visual AIDS, which is a New York HIV-awareness arts organisation. Eventually, they came up with the idea of red ribbon symbolisation that has now become one of the most recognised symbols of the decade.

During the time World AIDS Day was founded followed by years later when the red ribbon was established, the disease was highly stigmatised and the communities living with the chronic disease remained largely hidden. Therefore, the emergence of visual expression of compassion with the ribbon was inspired by the yellow ribbons that were tied on the trees to show support for the American military fighting in the Gulf War. Moreover, the “elegant loop” according to artists made it easier to replicate and avoided other traditional colours depicting other causes. The red colour was chosen for boldness and the colour’s association with passion, the heart and love. 

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What is the World AIDS Day 2020 theme?

According to hiv.gov, the World AIDS Day 2020 theme is “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Resilience and Impact”. Every year the day is marked with different themes inviting the organizations and individuals around the world to unite in diverting the attention to the HIV infection, endeavour to increase HIV awareness and knowledge, speak out against HIV stigma, and call for an increased response against the disease.

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