Zero HIV Stigma Day has called on governments, international organisations, advocates, and communities to shift from the awareness of the inequalities and stigma that people living with HIV face every day, to action that drives equitable health outcomes and ends the stigma surrounding HIV. However, we know that HIV stigma does not stand alone.

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Naz is proud to launch the fourth annual Zero HIV Stigma Day on 21 July 2026, under the theme “Fact Over Fear.” The campaign is situated within an alarming political shift to the right where people existing at the margins of our communities are being continually scapegoated to shift pressure away from government accountability. As a Global Majority, LGBTQ+-led charity, we understand all too well the risk of complacency in the face of violence, and that our communities suffer the most from inequality and injustice.

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We need everyone working for equity and justice to understand that ending HIV stigma must continue to be part of the work. We want everyone to understand whether you are working to end racism, poverty, poor mental health, substance misuse, or the hostile migrant environment, that ending HIV stigma is part of your conversation and part of your activism. This is a connection we urge everyone to make and invite you to share in our anger at the reversal of HIV outcomes that the generation before us fought hard to secure.

ABOUT ZERO HIV STIGMA DAY

 

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic over four decades ago, 75.5 million people have acquired HIV and 32.7 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses. Despite transformative biomedical advances, we are far from eradicating the virus and achieving zero new infections and zero AIDS-related deaths globally.  We believe many of these ongoing transmissions and deaths could be prevented if it were not for the stigma that exists within the global community toward HIV.

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During spring 2020, at the height of COVID, the Naz team discussed the need to challenge HIV stigma globally and what the power of a global campaign to end HIV stigma could look like. Naz’s Medical Director Vanessa Apea conceived of the idea for Zero HIV Stigma Day, a global day of awareness focused on HIV stigma. Since the campaign began in 2023, we've reached over a million people globally with the number climbing higher each day.

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HIV STIGMA is a social justice, human rights, and public health issue. Zero HIV Stigma Day is a global movement uniting people and communities to raise awareness of HIV and take action to eliminate HIV stigma in all its forms. July 21 is a day of action featuring communities living with and affected by HIV, activists, clinicians, influencers, and civil society organizations.

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The day July 21 was chosen in honour of the late South African AIDS activist Prudence Nobantu Mabele (July 21, 1971-July 10, 2017). Prudence set a precedent to encourage other women living with HIV to discuss their status with loved ones, to live without shame, to seek treatment, and to lead happy and fulfilled lives. Zero HIV Stigma Day honours her work and tireless activism to end HIV stigma.​​​​​​​