‘It’s Not Over’ - AHF Marks World AIDS Day with Janet Jackson Concert, Commemorative Events in 40 Countries

While 29.8 million people living with HIV — of 39 million worldwide — now receive lifesaving treatment, the fight continues; AHF will reach two million lives in care by early 2024

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On this World AIDS Day, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and more than 40 AHF country teams will hold commemorative events to honor all who have lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses, support those who carry on the fight, and unite people globally in battling one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.

In the U.S., AHF will continue its longstanding tradition of hosting a high-profile World AIDS Day concert and awareness event. Global icon Janet Jackson will perform a full-length show at NRG Arena in Houston, TX, and AHF will honor American actor Blair Underwood with its Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts as powerful voice in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and abroad for more than three decades. AHF mobilizers also will host 26 events in 21 cities across the country, promoting testing, education, and open conversation around HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.

“The global HIV/AIDS response has fallen short over recent years due to COVID-19 and other competing global crises,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF President and Cofounder. “AHF calls on all nations and global public health institutions to ensure that adequate resources and political will are available to fight HIV/AIDS. On World AIDS Day, the world must remember – it’s not over.”

“World AIDS Day is a time to remind everyone that countries worldwide, particularly lower-income countries, must keep HIV/AIDS high on their public health agendas – which means prioritizing prevention, testing, and treatment efforts,” added AHF Chief of Global Advocacy and Policy Terri Ford.

AHF also urges governments to ensure the availability of free or affordable condoms and promote their use as they remain the most cost-effective method of preventing HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unplanned pregnancies.

Past performers at AHF’s World AIDS Day concerts in the U.S. include Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, and Mariah Carey. The global HIV/AIDS organization has presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to a diverse array of advocates including Harry Belafonte, Debbie Allen, and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and posthumously to Princess Diana.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 1.9 million individuals across 45 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, and subscribe to our AHFter Hours podcast.