WORLD AIDS DAY

(PRODUCT) RED^™ ENGAGES BIG BUSINESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS

(PRODUCT) RED engages big business to raise awareness and funds for The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. We do this by teaming up with iconic brands. Launch partners are: American Express, Converse, Gap, Giorgio Armani and Motorola.

(PRODUCT) RED is a branding mechanism which companies license to sell (PRODUCT) RED branded products to raise funds for the Global Fund. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark make a commitment to contribute a portion of profits from the sales of that product into Global Fund-financed AIDS programmes, with a focus on women and children in Africa.

(RED) is not a charity or "campaign". It is an economic initiative that aims to deliver a sustainable flow of private sector money to the Global Fund.

(RED) was created by Bono (U2, singer and activist) and Bobby Shriver (Chairman of DATA – Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa). Both also founded DATA in 2002, an organisation created to put political pressure on world governments to tackle the key issues surrounding debt, AIDS and trade in Africa.

A WORLDWIDE EMERGENCY

Every year 3 million people die from AIDS. Of the 40 million people infected by HIV/AIDS, Africa (which has just over 10% of the world’s population) is home to 60% (25 million). The disease is the leading cause of death in Africa.

Women comprise the fastest growing population group living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and the result of their illness on children is compelling. Every time a man or woman is started on anti-retroviral drugs, the survival of children becomes less precarious.

An estimated 13 million children in Africa have been orphaned because of HIV/AIDS already and this number is growing. Almost 2000 children, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, are infected with HIV each day.

THE GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA

The Global Fund is the world’s leading funder of programmes to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Created in 2002, the Global Fund has committed over $5.2 billion to life-saving programmes in 131 countries and accounts for a quarter of the world’s funding for AIDS programmes in the developing world (over half for malaria and two-thirds for tuberculosis). Global Fund-financed programmes already support nearly half a million people on AIDS treatment, provide over half a million children orphaned by AIDS with medical services, education and community care and reach tens of millions with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves against HIV infection.

The Global Fund is a public-private partnership, governed by representatives of governments, the private sector and civil society from all over the world. It enables countries to design and execute their own programmes, but provides funds only on the basis of proven results. It is a lean institution with operating costs of less than 3%, ensuring that resources go directly to where they are needed most.

The Global Fund needs additional resources from all sectors to continue scaling up the support for life-saving work around the world.

For more information, joinred.com