World AIDS Day 2005
Make the Promise. Get Tested

The World Health Organization declared the first World AIDS Day in 1988. The day, December 1, has become established as one of the most successful commemorative days and is now recognized and celebrated by a diverse range of peoples every year around the world.

The World AIDS Campaign was established to coordinate worldwide cooperation and attention around a selected theme of global importance to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The World AIDS Campaign strategy also highlighted the need for year round awareness activities.

This year's theme: Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise was selected based on the need to advocate for the fulfillment of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS which was agreed to in June 2001, when governments unanimously set targets and goals to fight AIDS. Since the session, UN agencies and governments have been working together to fulfill the promises outlined in the Declaration.

The Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise campaign aims to energize and support an effective and sustained response to the epidemic in the areas of prevention, stigma reduction, infrastructure improvements, provision of resources and ensuring treatment, care and respect for people living with HIV or AIDS. The Campaign also aims to broaden the multi-sectoral partnership that is necessary to shape an effective response to AIDS.

Since the start of the World AIDS Campaign, Jamaica has been an active participant in observing World AIDS Day and drawing attention to the selected themes of the campaign. The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the National AIDS Committee has served as the main hub of activities commemorating the day.

The National HIV/STI Control Programme and its partners have modified the theme to bring into focus the need for members of the general public to make a personal commitment to ending the spread of HIV/AIDS. As such, the World AIDS Campaign theme for Jamaica has been modified to "Make the Promise - Get Tested." This theme will encompass the current themes including HIV/STI prevention, policy and treatment.

Make the Promise- Get Tested will bring into focus the need for persons to be proactive in the fight to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS by knowing their status, preventing infection and doing their part to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.
The overall goal of this year's observance is two-pronged. First, World AIDS Day activities will seek to commemorate the observance in a manner that will attract the participation of a wide cross section of the public thereby increasing public awareness of the individual's responsibility in ending the spread of HIV/AIDS. Secondly, we aim to garner the support and firm commitment of Jamaica's key opinion leaders in all sectors in efforts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.