HIV-AIDS remain pressing public health challenges worldwide, significantly impacting individuals and communities. According to the World Health Organization, in 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV globally.

Each year on December 1, the international community celebrates World AIDS Day to raise awareness about HIV-AIDS infections, combating stigma and discrimination, honoring the lives lost, and reaffirming commitment to supporting all people living with and affected by the deadly disease.

This year’s theme, “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” urges governments to prioritize HIV on national health agendas and greater integration of HIV services into wider health systems to deliver comprehensive, people-centred care. The theme also calls for scaling up innovative service delivery models, expanding prevention, harm reduction, and community engagement programmes, and enhancing surveillance, monitoring, and targeted HIV responses.