The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, has by Proclamation declared Thursday, December 1, 2022 World AIDS Day, to be observed throughout the Republic as a working holiday, in recognition of the immense contributions of the United Nations to combating HIV and AIDS.
The Proclamation calls upon all ministries, agencies of government, local and international organizations as well as the general public to join the National Aids Commission of Liberia in organizing and executing appropriate programs to make the day a meaningful one.
According to a Foreign Ministry release, this year’s World AIDS Day will be celebrated under the Global Theme, “Equalize” and the National Theme, “End Inequalities, and End HIV in Liberia”.
The Proclamation further indicated that it is in line with the principles of creating awareness of the threat of HIV and AIDS, embodied in the policies of the Government, as adopted, and in accordance with those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Joint Program on the HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
According to the Proclamation, the observance of the World AIDS Day is intended to educate and keep the Liberian people aware of the threat of AIDS.
The Proclamation further noted that the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has designated the 1st Day of December of each year as World AIDS Day, and urges all member countries to execute relevant and appropriate awareness programs in observance of the day.
“Since the diagnosis of AIDS in 1981, it has continued to pose a serious problem and threat to the health and wellbeing of the human race, of which the people of Liberia are of no exception,” the Proclamation recalls.