Zambia Commemorates Zero HIV Stigma Day

For the first time, Zambia is joining the global movement to commemorate Zero HIV Stigma Day, launching a national movement and campaign to eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination. 

A pre-event workshop held on Friday, 18 July, at Neelkanth Sarovar Premiere Hotel, brought together leaders from the National AIDS Council (NAC), civil society, networks of people living with HIV, United Nations partners, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Ambassadors to officially kick off the 2025 campaign under the theme: “HIV Stigma Warriors”.

Speaking at the workshop, NAC Director General Dr. Kebby Musokotwane explained the importance of Zero HIV Stigma Day in improving access to care, support and services for people living with HIV. 

“Zero HIV Stigma Day is more than a campaign, it is a movement. HIV stigma remains the greatest barrier in our HIV response. This day is a powerful reminder to celebrate courage and challenge the norms perpetuated by stigma,” Dr Musokotwane said.

UNAIDS Zambia Country Director Isaac Ahemesah stressed that HIV stigma was a violation of human rights. “Fighting stigma is not only necessary to expand access to HIV services. It is a human rights imperative,” said Mr Ahemesah. “We cannot end AIDS by 2030 without ending HIV stigma.”

Julius Kachidza, Chair of the Network of People Living with HIV in Zambia, underscored the urgent need to tackle persistent discriminatory attitudes, particularly in rural areas. “While we’ve made progress in reducing stigma and discrimination, harmful attitudes persist, especially in rural communities. As civil society organizations, we call on all stakeholders to stand with us in this fight. Let’s work together to build a society where individuals can live without fear of judgment or rejection.”

The workshop included UN Zambia SDG supporters and influencers, namely B-Flow, Esther Chungu, Pompi, Wezi, Lulu Haangala-Wood and Florence Jedidiah Mulenga, who pledged their support to promote action against HIV stigma through their platforms.

The campaign is supported by the United Nations in Zambia through UNAIDS, NAC, Tides 24, the Network of People Living with HIV and UN Zambia SDG Supporters.

Data from the newly released Global AIDS Update report, AIDS, Crisis, and the Power to Transform, reveal that in 2024, there were 1.4 million people living with HIV in Zambia, including 60 000 children aged 0–14. Stigma remains a root cause of continued HIV transmission and a significant barrier to both HIV prevention and treatment. It manifests across all sectors of society, from health systems to households, and translates into harmful actions such as refusing to buy food from someone living with HIV or preventing a child from attending school.

UNAIDS calls on governments, donors and partners to collectively work together to eliminate all form of HIV stigma and discrimination against individuals and communities living with HIV, to ensure a just, inclusive and effective path to end AIDS.

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For more information, please contact:

Sarah Talon Sampieri, Programme Analyst

UNAIDS Office in Zambia 

E: Talonsampieris@unaids.org

About UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org