Emma joined campaigners from around the world in marking World AIDS day today (1 December), and added her voice to the call for the UK to lead the global mission to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Last week Emma attended a meeting in Parliament to find out more about the progress that has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. More than 13 million people worldwide are now accessing treatment, compared to fewer than 1 million just ten years ago. Last year was the first time that the number of people beginning treatment was higher than the number of new HIV patients.
On Wednesday MPs wore red ribbons at Prime Minister’s Questions to show their support for the ongoing work to eradicate the virus, to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and to challenge some of the myths around the disease. You can find out more by visiting the World AIDS Day website.
Emma said:
“The UK is a world leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and thanks to our investment and research millions of lives have already been saved. But AIDS remains a global epidemic, and we need to keep up the fight if we want to banish the virus to history.”
Ben Simms of STOPAIDS said:
“We were delighted to have the support of Emma in this effort. Her support has helped to ensure the UK is saving a life every three minutes through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This World AIDS Day we remember the 35 million people who have lost their lives to AIDS and call all leaders to honour that loss by seizing the opportunity we now have to end the epidemic.”