United Nations (UN)’s Zero Discrimination Day is annually observed across the globe on 1st March to promote equality, inclusion, peace, and diversity while raising awareness about the harmful impact of discrimination worldwide.
- It is also a day to celebrate the right of everyone to live a full and productive life with dignity.
1 March 2024 marks the observance of the 10th anniversary of Zero Discrimination Day.
- The 2024 theme of Zero Discrimination Day is, “To protect everyone’s health, protect everyone’s rights”.
UNAIDS organises zero discrimination day each year to join communities across the world in demanding equality.
Note: UNAIDS is a joint United Nations (UN) program on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Symbol: The symbol of Zero Discrimination Day is the “Butterfly”. It represents a symbol of transformation.
Significance:
i.The Zero Discrimination Day is a UNAIDS campaign of solidarity that stands up to racism and discrimination.
ii.Zero Discrimination Day initially centered on HIV awareness, aims to inform and advocate for the rights of people impacted by HIV
iii.Now, it has expanded to focus on ending all forms of discrimination that impact quality of life, health, and well-being through awareness and advocacy.
iv.On 1 March 2024, and across the whole month of March, events, and activities will remind the world of this crucial lesson: by protecting everyone’s health, we can protect everyone’s rights.
Objective: To eliminate discrimination based on income, sex, age, health status, occupation, disability, sexual orientation, drug use, gender identity, race, class, ethnicity, and religion.
Background:
i.On 1 December 2013 on the occasion of World AIDS Day, UNAIDS launched the Zero Discrimination Campaign for a global transformation.
- The “#zerodiscrimination” campaign was launched by Nobel Peace Prize winner and UNAIDS Global Advocate for Zero Discrimination Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
ii.The first Zero Discrimination Day was observed on 1 March 2014 after the campaign was launched by UNAIDS.
iii.The then-Executive Director of the joint UNAIDS Michel Sidibé launched the Day in 2014 with a major event in Beijing, China.
Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026:
i.The UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) unanimously adopted the new Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026, titled “End Inequalities, End AIDS.”
ii.This strategy takes a comprehensive approach to close existing gaps and bring the world closer to eliminating AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
iii.It sets out bold new targets and policies to be reached by 2025 to propel new energy and commitment to ending AIDS.
Note: The PCB adopted the strategy during a special session, chaired by the Minister of Health of Namibia, held on 24 and 25 March 2021.
Impact Targets:
If the targets and commitments in the strategy are achieved, the strategy projects a substantial decline in new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths:
- New HIV cases could decrease from 1.7 million (2019) to less than 370,000 by 2025.
- AIDS-related deaths may decrease from 690,000 (2019) to less than 250,000 in 2025.
- It aims to eliminate new HIV infections in children, reducing cases from 150,000 (2019) to less than 22,000 in 2025.
Note: Around the world, 38 countries have pledged to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination and today 50 million more girls are in school than in 2015.
About UNAIDS:
It was established by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and remained the only cosponsored joint program of the UN system.
Executive Director– Winnie Byanyima
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
Started Operations– 1996
