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Public Health Program

World AIDS Day

HIV/AIDS Program

World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by HIV and to mourning those who have died of the disease. UNAIDS became operational in 1996 and has since taken over planning and promotion of the day from its original founders, using the occasion to promote education on HIV prevention and control efforts worldwide.

Facts
Launch Year
1988 1
Program Status
Active; observed annually since 1988, most recently under the 2025 theme on overcoming disruption in the AIDS response 1
Sponsoring Body
World Health Organization; UNAIDS since 1996 1
Target Population
The general public, government and health officials, and non-governmental organizations worldwide 1
Health Goal
Raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic and commemorate those who have died of the disease 1
Geographic Scope
Global, observed by United Nations member states worldwide 1
Program status (class)
Ongoing 1
Classification
Program Kind
Disease Surveillance Program 1
Connections

Delivers Practice

Disease Surveillance, Practices

Entity-backed identity for the program-kind enum value this public health program already carries, resolved to a health practice by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The program-kind fact itself stays on the program unchanged.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: World AIDS Day
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
  • History section, first observance
    the first observance of World AIDS Day should be on 1 December 1988
  • History section, UNAIDS stewardship
    The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) became operational in 1996, and it took over the planning and promotion of World AIDS Day.
  • Lead section, international day statement
    World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day
  • Lead section, purpose statement
    dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease
  • Observance section, participants
    Government and health officials, non-governmental organizations, and individuals around the world observe the day
  • Current observance section, 2025 theme
    Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response
  • Wikipedia 'World AIDS Day': annual observance since 1988, present tense; checked 2026-09-27.
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