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This evening at 5pm on Carnaby Street, there will be a candlelit gathering to honour the millions of people around the world who have died from Aids.
The vigil is being organised by fashion designer Gareth Pugh and cosmetics brand Mac, and will be held outside the Mac store. A gospel choir will sing as part of the commemoration, and Professor Jane Anderson, chair of the National Aids Trust, will address attendees.
Today is World Aids Day, but it also marks 40 years since the first Aids-related deaths were reported in California. Since then, more than 36.3 million people have died of the illness. Today 37.7 million people are living with HIV globally.
Despite phenomenal advancements in medicine, which mean that the life expectancy of people living with HIV in the UK is almost equal to that of HIV-negative individuals, Aids continues to cause devastation in developing countries around the world. In 2020 alone, nearly 700,000 people died of Aids-related illnesses.
Mac Viva Glam, the beauty brand’s charitable campaign, is one of the largest non-pharma contributors to HIV and Aids charities, having raised more than $500 million for organisations supporting those living with HIV and Aids. One hundred percent of the selling price of Mac Viva Glam lip products goes to these organisations, and approximately 19 million lives have been changed through its charity contributions.
While attitudes towards HIV and Aids have changed over the last four decades, there’s still progress to be made. According to World Aids Day, despite laws now in place in the UK to protect people with HIV, and scientific advancements in treatment, stigma, ignorance and discrimination are still rife when it comes to the condition.
World Aids Day, which was founded in 1988, is an opportunity to honour the lives that have been lost, to fundraise, to show solidarity and to raise the profile of the numerous charities that are working to improve education and fight prejudice around HIV and Aids.
Red solidarity ribbons can be bought online or picked up from any Mac branch across the UK.
Marvel at the Carnaby Christmas Lights.
A Covid memorial garden has opened in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.