| Richard Gere speaks during an HIV/AIDS event called 'An Evening of Remembrance and Hope: Uniting the World Against AIDS' in the General Assembly hall at United Nations headquarters New York June 1, 2006 |
| UN Goodwell Ambassador for UNICF actor Richard Gere and actress Naomi Watts confer before she makes her first speech in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations in New York during a event titled "An Evening of Remembrance and Hope:Uniting the World Against Aids on June 1, 2006 |
| UN Goodwell Ambassador for UNICF actor Richard Gere tries out the head chair in the United Nations Security Council room during his private tour before speaking in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations in New York for a event titled "An Evening of Remembrance and Hope:Uniting the World Against Aids on June 1, 2006 |
| An Evening of Remembrance and Hope: Uniting the World Against AIDS Young performers of the African Children's Choir from Uganda and Kenya pictured with American actor Richard Gere (second from left) at the special event to remember 25 years of AIDS hosted by UNAIDS, at UN Headquarters in New York |
An Evening of Remembrance and Hope: Uniting the World Against AIDS
UN Secretary-General, internationally renowned performers, activists join UNAIDS at the United Nations to remember
25 years of AIDS
(New York, 1 June 2006) – United Nation Secretary-General Kofi Annan, international actors and musicians, people
living with HIV and long time AIDS activists, join the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive
Director Dr. Peter Piot in an event entitled An Evening of Remembrance and Hope: Uniting the World Against AIDS.
The gathering, which will take place in the UN General Assembly Hall, coincides with the 2006 High Level Meeting on
AIDS, bringing together more than a dozen Heads of State and Government, over 100 Ministers, and more than 1,000
civil society representatives from around the world.
“It is especially fitting that on the eve of this very important High Level Meeting, we gather to remember the 25 million
people we have lost since this epidemic began, and commit ourselves to making their legacy our collective action,”
said Dr. Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director.
Participating in the evening’s observances will be actors Richard Gere, Whoopi Goldberg, and Naomi Watts, as well as
internationally renowned musicians Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Salman Ahmad (Pakistan), Wyclef Jean (Haiti), the
African Children’s Choir (Uganda, Kenya) and Paul Winter (USA).
Also speaking during the evening will be people living with HIV and long-time AIDS activists and leaders from six
continents, highlighting the vitally important leadership which has come from communities in the last 25 years of living
with AIDS.
“The voices of those of us living with AIDS are central to any effective response,” said Mary Fisher, a woman living
with AIDS from the United States and UNAIDS Special Representative who will speak during the evening. “Tonight,”
added Fisher, “world and community leaders will hear these voices above all others – and they will speak a message
of power and hope.”
# # #
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, brings together the efforts and resources of ten UN system
organizations to the global AIDS response. Cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO,
UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. Based in Geneva, the UNAIDS secretariat works on the ground in more than 75
countries world wide.
Contact
Jonathan Rich | UNAIDS New York | cell. +1 917 650 5697 | jr@jrichconsulting.com
Sophie Barton-Knott | UNAIDS New York | cell. +1 917 379 6948 | bartonknotts@unaids.org
UN Secretary-General, internationally renowned performers, activists join UNAIDS at the United Nations to remember
25 years of AIDS
(New York, 1 June 2006) – United Nation Secretary-General Kofi Annan, international actors and musicians, people
living with HIV and long time AIDS activists, join the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive
Director Dr. Peter Piot in an event entitled An Evening of Remembrance and Hope: Uniting the World Against AIDS.
The gathering, which will take place in the UN General Assembly Hall, coincides with the 2006 High Level Meeting on
AIDS, bringing together more than a dozen Heads of State and Government, over 100 Ministers, and more than 1,000
civil society representatives from around the world.
“It is especially fitting that on the eve of this very important High Level Meeting, we gather to remember the 25 million
people we have lost since this epidemic began, and commit ourselves to making their legacy our collective action,”
said Dr. Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director.
Participating in the evening’s observances will be actors Richard Gere, Whoopi Goldberg, and Naomi Watts, as well as
internationally renowned musicians Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Salman Ahmad (Pakistan), Wyclef Jean (Haiti), the
African Children’s Choir (Uganda, Kenya) and Paul Winter (USA).
Also speaking during the evening will be people living with HIV and long-time AIDS activists and leaders from six
continents, highlighting the vitally important leadership which has come from communities in the last 25 years of living
with AIDS.
“The voices of those of us living with AIDS are central to any effective response,” said Mary Fisher, a woman living
with AIDS from the United States and UNAIDS Special Representative who will speak during the evening. “Tonight,”
added Fisher, “world and community leaders will hear these voices above all others – and they will speak a message
of power and hope.”
# # #
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, brings together the efforts and resources of ten UN system
organizations to the global AIDS response. Cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO,
UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. Based in Geneva, the UNAIDS secretariat works on the ground in more than 75
countries world wide.
Contact
Jonathan Rich | UNAIDS New York | cell. +1 917 650 5697 | jr@jrichconsulting.com
Sophie Barton-Knott | UNAIDS New York | cell. +1 917 379 6948 | bartonknotts@unaids.org
Paul Winter will be playing on June 1st at the United Nations General
Assembly in a special event: "An Evening of Remembrance and Hope: 25
Years of AIDS." The event, which is not open to the public, will be
opened by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and will include 10 heads of
state, 190 AIDS delegations, a chorus of 25 African AIDS orphans,
Angelique Kidjo, Wyclef Jean, Whoopee Goldberg, and Richard G
Assembly in a special event: "An Evening of Remembrance and Hope: 25
Years of AIDS." The event, which is not open to the public, will be
opened by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and will include 10 heads of
state, 190 AIDS delegations, a chorus of 25 African AIDS orphans,
Angelique Kidjo, Wyclef Jean, Whoopee Goldberg, and Richard G