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Belarus has low HIV/AIDS prevalence, but it is seeing one of the highest increases in infection rates in the region, with youth the most endangered group, according to the World Health Organization. To help meet the threat, UNDP and its partners are mobilizing sports and music stars to raise awareness.
Tennis star Maxim Mirny, UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, took the stage recently at the Minsk Palace of Sports with other renowned Belarusian athletes and popular musicians at a gala concert to warn young people.
Huge screens displayed information about the disease and sports stars appeared in videos to appeal to young people to protect themselves and others against HIV/AIDS. Most of the 3,000 spectators at the free event were between 16 and 22 years old, the most vulnerable group. People living with HIV, physicians and experts dealing with the disease also attended.
A national television broadcast of the "Sports and Music Stars Against AIDS" gala this month will likely reach millions, as Mr. Mirny is an idol of the Belarusian youth.
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative Cihan Sultanoglu and Minister for Sports and Tourism Yury Sivakov reminded the audience that the risks are real, saying that staying in good health and an active lifestyle rich with sports and the arts is the foundation for productive lives.
Belarus has officially registered more than 5,500 HIV cases in a population of 10 million, but the World Health Organisation estimates that there are up to 25,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. The majority are injecting drug users, but more than a third of infections are from heterosexual contacts.
In an earlier initiative, Mr. Mirny campaigned in Soligorsk, where municipal authorities, registering 383 cases, are battling the fastest growth rate among cities. Last year UN experts ranked the city as one of seven in the world with the most successful HIV/AIDS prevention programmes among drug users.
Mr. Mirny met with local authorities to discuss HIV transmission and the ways the city is helping people protect themselves. He then spoke with local youth at the House of Children's Creative Work and took them to a tennis court where he offered a lesson in the game to young fans.
Source: UNDP Belarus
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